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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28070475">you'll gaze unafraid as they sob from the city roofs</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hi_im_why/pseuds/hi_im_why'>hi_im_why</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>wasteland, baby! [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Attempt at Humor, Corpse is a Detective and Sykk is a serial killer, Falling In Love, LOTS of drinking but none of it is underage, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Unreliable Narrator, Updates Daily, also, and they were neighbors (oh my god they were neighbors), be gay do crime, because screw the status quo, but preferably not murder, i respond to all comments bc i love yall ♡, i vehemently abuse tags, if you hadnt noticed, im just sayin the boys have chemistry, just to clarify i do not condone murder, murder but make it funny and maybe romantic (2020), murder is bad, not exactly a slow burn but kinda? idk things progress relatively smoothly so, take from that what you will, this story got a 3 percent audience score on rotten tomatoes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:28:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,025</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28070475</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hi_im_why/pseuds/hi_im_why</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Corpse (is it a nickname? Sure, but he prefers it) is a detective–a damn good one, if you ask him–and he’s been assigned to a string of murder cases. The culprit? An unknown individual that they have absolute jack shit on. Corpse struggles through solving the case while also struggling with his feelings for his new neighbor–a kind and shy guy who he calls Sykkuno.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF) &amp; Jeremy Wang, Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF) &amp; Rachel "Rae" Hofstetter, Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>wasteland, baby! [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067165</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>503</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: These are real people, do not send these works to them. If either Corpse or Sykkuno express discomfort to these works, this will be taken down. Please respect boundaries and be nice. Enjoy!</p><p>Another disclaimer: All my knowledge of policing comes from Brooklyn 99, and all depictions of mental illness will be based off of my own experiences and those of my friends. Please do not attack me if not everything in this is entirely accurate. Thank you :)</p><p>A third disclaimer: Coronavirus will not exist in this story, just letting you know! Make sure to do your part irl and wear a mask + social distance. Corpse wears a mask due to social anxiety, not because of Covid. That’s all–I hope you have a good read!</p><p>Title is from Hozier’s song “Wasteland, Baby!” I have a playlist for this if any of yall are interested :) it’s a little all over the place but so is this story so :)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Corpse gets a new case and a new neighbor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Abrasive rap music poured out of the windows of one of the cars caught in traffic, making Corpse smile and hum a bit behind his mask as he walked off of the metro station escalator and onto the sidewalk, headed towards work. The Los Angeles weather was being agreeable to his clothing choice for once–the temperature in the low 60’s was comfortable enough to wear some jeans and a turtleneck (paired with the same jacket he wore to work every day–a black cargo jacket with red accents. It had a lot of storage space </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> was comfy, so was a necessity on every outing when it came to Corpse). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sunrise glared into his eyes from the horizon beyond the skyline, but was tolerable enough that Corpse just kept his gaze to the sidewalk as he hurried to his job. He had woken up a half hour late today, so his hair was still wet from his shower and he hadn’t eaten breakfast (not that he ever did anyways). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took about 5 more minutes of walking until Corpse finally arrived at his job, greeting Jack in the elevator (the Irishman was obviously hungover, not that Corpse could blame him. Mondays are always a bitch) and stepping into the bullpen to say good morning to everyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain, Felix, was already in the briefing room with the sergeant, Toast (well, his real name was Jeremy, but no one called him that), so Corpse walked in and sat down to be briefed alongside his peers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae elbowed him in the side when he sat down beside her, gesturing at his disheveled appearance. “Rough night, Corpse?” She quipped, smiling cheekily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Rae,” he rolled his eyes, “I was here until 2 AM solving that B&amp;E case and went to bed at 4. Don’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> at me right now.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His friend shrugged. “You really </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> a corpse right now,” she noted, giggling, but abandoned the conversation once Felix began to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s been a murder on the corner of Pico and Masselin. It appears to be connected to the other 3 murders spread out in the district.” Felix hummed, pulling up the crime scene photos on the Powerpoint. Now, Corpse wasn’t in the least bit squeamish (he had seen a rat eating another dead rat the other day in the subway and only screamed a little), but this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>grisly</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Rae took on a lot of cases like this–she had a stomach of steel, but she was working a drug bust at the moment, which led to her pouting shamelessly beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felix skimmed over his detectives. “Corpse?” He said, getting the man's attention away from the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Cap?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You finished all your cases, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse already knew where this was going, “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the primary. Choose whoever you want as your secondary.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, then I can switch and let Rae take this one on. I’m better at drug busts anyway–</span>
  </em>
  <span>“And don’t give Rae the case, she needs to finish up her drug bust before she takes anything else on.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae groaned dramatically from next to him, and Corpse honestly understood the sentiment. Regardless, he shook it off and chose his second. “Toast,” he began, catching the Sarge’s attention, “Could you take on this case with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast shrugged, “Sure. I haven’t had a case like this in a while anyways.” He frowned at the screen, “Guess that’s a good thing, though. This’ll be tough to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse didn’t say anything, but he agreed as he looked over the case file after the briefing, Rae leaning over his desk to peer into it. She whistled, “Wow, that is–” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Terrible,” he finished for her. “I don’t understand how anyone could do this. I know I shouldn’t be so reactive, but it’s still just so…” he trailed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae nodded sagely. “You get used to it. You’ve only been a detective for like 2 years, Corpse, don’t worry about it. You’re like… a baby compared to the rest of us.” She laughed at his glare. “Hey! It’s no insult to your ability… I’m just saying you’re the youngest detective in the precinct. Be proud of yourself, dude.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes at her, but smiled and blushed a little under his mask. Rae was probably his closest friend on the force–outside of Jack, maybe, but they hadn’t talked in a little while, so Rae might just take the cake. “Thanks,” he grumbled, flipping through the file again and sighing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The murders are definitely linked, unless we have </span>
  <em>
    <span>multiple</span>
  </em>
  <span> murderous psychopaths with the same MO in the area, but I don’t wanna think about that. There are no real suspects. No one out of the ordinary has been spotted in the area. The murders have all happened in the victims' homes but there are no signs of a B&amp;E. This means the killer was allowed inside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae furrowed her brow, “Then the murderer is likely a mutual contact between all the victims.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the issue,” Corpse explained, “There’s only one mutual contact and it’s only between two of the victims.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s a lead.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse stretched in his chair, yawning against his face covering. “Not really, because said lead is a 78 year old woman who has dementia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae wilted, “Oh. How did they know each other?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was a professor at a nearby university. The two victims were students of hers. She taught statistics.” He recited the information like a dorky 12 year old at a geography bee. “The victims had already graduated. They just kept in contact with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if she isn’t a lead, maybe she was told </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe she knows things about the victims. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d be more surprised if she even </span>
  <em>
    <span>remembered </span>
  </em>
  <span>anything about the victims, but thanks anyways Rae. I’ll check it out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anytime, baby detective.” She grinned, snickering at herself before Toast walked over and chided her to get back to her drug case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Sup Toast?” Corpse asked, organizing the file and jotting down some scrambled notes before looking up to the sergeant. He handed his secondary the file, which was flipped through and handed back just as quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we’re questioning the old lady?” Toast clarified once he was filled in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse nodded, “Yeah. It’s about all we have right now unless we wanna do door duty again. The neighbors didn’t see anything, anyways. They barely even knew the victim existed, for god’s sake. They were a shutaway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like you,” Toast supplied, and Corpse flipped him off before agreeing halfheartedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, let’s just go meet this…” he looked down at the file, “Dr. Nina Picksbrey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nursing home smelt like old people, unsurprisingly. Corpse didn’t really mind, though. Old people were normally pretty nice, if not a little close-minded. Old ladies waved at him as he was led down the hall by a polite nurse. He waved back and smiled when they got all happy to see him reply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here’s room 34 with Miss Nina. I’ll be right out the door in case you need to call me in for anything.” The nurse supplied and opened the door. “Miss Nina? We have some visitors with some questions for you!” She called in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, come in!” A sweet, if not excessively grandma-ish voice called. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast walked in first, Corpse following. “We just have some questions for you, Dr. Picksbrey–” Toast began, only to be cut off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just call me Miss Nina! Doctor sounds so formal.” She laughs. “What are your names?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Jeremy, but everyone calls me Toast.” Toast replied, “This is Corpse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Corpse?” Miss Nina said and scrunched her nose up, “What kind of name is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry Miss Nina, it’s a nickname.” Corpse apologized, eager to begin questioning. He kind of wanted to go back home now that everything was so one-on-one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes widened, “Your voice!” She cried, “It’s so low! Do you need a lozenge?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, “No, ma’am, I’m fine. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that won’t do. Give me a second…” she muttered, turning around and fishing something out of her desk. It was a lozenge. “It’s cherry flavored!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Here,” she pushed it into his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast snickered beside Corpse as he scrambled to say, “Th-thank you, Miss Nina, but that really isn–” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I insist!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, she insisted,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse surrendered and stuck to lozenge into his mouth, pulling his mask down and cringing. It tasted like artificial cherry and cough medicine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, the old lady was sated. “Now, why are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast sighed, patience slowly thinning. “We’re here to ask you some questions, Miss Nina.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember these two men?” Toast said, whipping out the two photos of the victims–pre-murder, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miss Nina gasped, “Why, of course! That’s Tyler–” she pointed to the one on the left, “And Al.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s right,” Toast confirmed as Corpse subtly spat the lozenge into the garbage. “What can you tell me about these two?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miss Nina smiled, “They’re like sons to me. How are they?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse and Toast looked each other in the eye, and…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re good.” “Doing great.” “Just peachy.” “Oh, just swell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good,” Miss Nina nodded before looking at Toast, “Why are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast sighed, and stood up, patience a little too thin. “Corpse, I’m going to go sit outside and scream at the sun. Hopefully you’ll have more success than me in questioning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so Corpse began, “Miss Nina–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your voice!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus Christ.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Do you need a lozenge?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay, I just had one this morning.” He rushed to say, and she seemed to accept that. “Now, I need to ask you about these two. Tyler and Al.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were the sweetest! We were very close, and they told me a lot. They’re like sons to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ve said,” Corpse bit his lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, go on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She went on for about an hour regarding the two, though had to interject often to ask Corpse why he was there and what they were doing. It didn’t seem like he would get anything of use until–“They were relatively quiet. Very smart, though. Passed their classes with flying colors and did alright for themselves after graduation. And–alright, well… I know it’s bad to gossip, but I’m old. Can I tell you something, young man?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything, Miss Nina.” Corpse said, because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> take anything at this point.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She brought her voice to a whisper, “They were both… into </span>
  <em>
    <span>men.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Miss Nina told him conspiratorially. “Perhaps that’s why they always kept to themselves.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s it! lead. Both shut ins who were into men. It isn’t much, but it’s something. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Miss Nina.” He smiled. “My time has run out, I need to go now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, alright!” She said, jumping up from her seat and giving him a little kiss on the cheek before handing him a lozenge. “Come again soon!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door shut behind him and he sighed loudly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Toast walked up to him. “You find anything?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse worked an hour of overtime, running through all listed past partners and associates off the victims, along with any excessive details. Apparently, three out of the four were known to have relations with men and two out of the four were alcoholics. All of them were hermits. Perfect victims for a murderous psychopath, he supposed. Made it harder for him to find witnesses of anything, though. Toast said he would talk with any possible witnesses in the neighborhoods of the victims tomorrow while Corpse hit the bars in the city and asked bartenders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, he headed home. The subway was incredibly busy and had his anxiety running rampant so reaching his apartment was like finding an oasis in the Sahara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His complex was a very quiet place despite the hustle and bustle of the streets nearby. It was a nice escape for him, and he almost immediately collapsed on his couch once he opened the door. He was about to doze off for a little bit before a knock at his door interrupted his exhaustion. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Weird. No one ever visits me. (Is that sad? That isn’t sad, right?)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, he hopped off the couch and moved to the door, opening it to see a man about his height–maybe an inch shorter–standing there, shifting awkwardly. “Can I help you?” Corpse asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your voic–” the man began to say before blushing and stopping himself. “Sorry! I-I’m Thomas, your new neighbor, but everyone calls me Sykkuno.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Huh. Not any weirder than Corpse, I guess.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you Sykkuno, everyone calls me Corpse.” The corners of lips perked up from behind his mask, and he found himself thankful that he hadn’t taken it off earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His neighbor smiled back shyly. “Nice to meet you too. I-uh… I made brownies for all the neighbors.” Sykkuno handed Corpse a baggie with a few brownies and a cute handwritten note. “They-they aren’t laced or anything, I swear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse laughed, “That’s good! It’s legal here, though. Well… weed is. I-I'm sure you know that already, anyways. Uh… please don’t do coke.” He rambled, and immediately hated himself for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Sykkuno laughed, “Well, it was nice to meet you. I hope to see you again soon. Uh… enjoy the brownies!” He said, and began to walk away as Corpse shut the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as he was alone, Corpse collapsed back onto his couch, cursing his social skills. It was so easy to talk with Rae and Jack because they were so forward… it’s harder with more reserved people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh well, he’d probably never end up interacting with his new neighbor anyways, no worries. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Unsure if I should continue or not… I guess it depends on you guys’ response to this so uh! lmk in the comments if you enjoy and leave a kudos! If yall have suggestions, go ahead because this is basically a blank slate for the time being :) I’m still getting the hang of writing everyone here, so apologies for any major OOC content! Additionally, there may be plot holes and small oversights because I have no beta reader, so please be forgiving. Thank you for reading, and leave suggestions and reviews below! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Corpse talks to bartenders and runs into Sykkuno again.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading the first chapter! The positive reviews and suggestions really helped me in the creation of this chapter, so here’s the next one for y’all :) enjoy! Also I just wanna say I think I’ve been to LA like once (once) so all the street names are snatched right from google dot com and are probably completely inaccurate reality-wise or whatever but! This is fanfiction so :) Also I know this is dialogue heavy but almost everything I write is dialogue heavy whoops!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was 10 AM, which was decidedly <em> way </em> too early to be in a bar, but that’s exactly where Corpse was, perching on a stool and sipping at a glass of water as he chatted with the bar owner.</p><p>“Have you ever seen any of these men?” He questioned as he pressed the four photos onto the countertop. </p><p>The owner, a middle-aged white woman with a chipped front tooth studied the pictures for a minute, chewing on a piece of gum (it was mint, and exceptionally strong given that Corpse could smell it from almost two feet away) before pointing at the one on the far right. “That’s Theo. He visited here almost every night up until about a month ago.” She peered into Corpse’s eyes, “He’s dead, huh?” </p><p>Corpse nodded, unsurprised by her deduction. “Yes. What can you tell me about him–who he talked to, who he normally was served by, if he left with someone the last time you saw him.”</p><p>The owner hummed, gesturing over her shoulder to a young blonde polishing glasses. “Talk to Chelsie over there, she was normally on the job when he was here.”</p><p>Hopping off of his stool, Corpse walked over to the other side of the bar and cleared his throat to get the bartender’s attention. “Excuse me.”</p><p>“Yes?” She looked up at him with tired eyes.</p><p>“Have you seen Mr. Theodore Cormick within the past month?”</p><p>She pondered it for a second before shrugging, “Stopped comin’ about a month ago. Can’t say I miss him. All he’d ever do is get wasted and leave with some new guy. Didn’t even tip.” </p><p><em> Okay, wow, maybe a bit insensitive but honestly fair, </em> Corpse resolved. “Do you remember who he left with? What about security cameras?” </p><p>The blonde shook her head. “Nah, I think some white guy? He could have been asian, though, I guess. He wore a mask and kept his head down. Suspicious as hell, actually.”</p><p>Corpse jotted it down in his notebook before stashing it back in his jacket pocket (<em> cargo jackets, man, cargo jackets. They’re a blessing </em>). “Thank you. Are there cameras?” He asked again.</p><p>It took her a second to finish polishing her glass, but Chelsie eventually set it down and beckoned for him to follow. He obliged and was led to a back room with a television. “Here we are. Anything our cameras caught should be here. You know how to work them?”</p><p>“Yeah. Thanks.” And with that, he was left alone to blip through the cameras. The quality was bad and there was no sound, but he would take what he could get. Eventually, about a month back, he came across the face of Theodore Cormick. </p><p>The man was talking–quite drunkenly–with a masked man. The hair was covered by a methodical beanie and the only thing <em> actually </em> identifiable was skin tone. He was either white or asian, certainly, but that was all. He watched the rest of the camera recording, clipping it and sending it to his email to add to the case file later on. </p><p>He left the room, shutting it behind him and walking back to the bar owner. “Are there any more cameras nearby that could have caught him going southeast?” </p><p>“They’re all privately owned from what I know. Sorry, champ.” She blew a bubble with her gum. “Come back if you ever need a drink.”</p><p>Corpse sighed, basically empty-handed. “Have a good day, thank you for your time.” He turned and left the bar.</p><p>The next few establishments came up to be just as fruitless as the first. The culprit wore a basic medical mask, a simple black beanie, and relatively formless clothes. All they had was that he was male, either caucasian or asian, approximately 5’8 to 5’11, and targeting homosexual men. Whether or not it was a hate crime or not was unknown given that it could be that the murderer was also homosexual.</p><p>Laying on the couch of the break room, Corpse really regretted not buying any drinks outside of water at the bars he visited. His mind was wandering into even darker scenarios. <em> Are gay men targeted because of a hatred towards them or a liking? What if the murder is a sexual thing for the killer? Christ. I hope not. I don’t have the mental stability to deal with a pervert on top of a serial killer. </em></p><p>He was broken out of his thoughts, thankfully, due to Toast walking into the break room and punching a code into the vending machine. An iced coffee was dispensed, and Toast immediately cracked it open and chugged the entire thing down before glancing at Corpse. “You too?” He asked.</p><p>“I hate this,” Corpse groaned into a stained pillow. “We need to check the database, too.” He added, “What did you find?”</p><p>Toast sat down into a chair, cracking his knuckles. “Next to nothing. Our victims were all absolute hermits. Never spoke with their neighbors, most of them had at-home jobs, barely had an internet presence. It’s almost like we’re trying to catch <em> them </em> instead of the actual murderer.”</p><p>“Anything from the family?” Corpse inquired, even though he already knew the answer.</p><p>“Two were estranged, one was disowned, and the other was only ever close with his mother who’s now deceased.” </p><p>Corpse repeated, “I <em> hate </em> this.” He rolled off the couch and made his way towards his desk to check the database. “Everything is so damn <em> vague. </em>” He muttered as he scrolled through the thousands of possible names, jotting down everyone with a criminal record expansive enough to rouse suspicion. He bookmarked his list and continued to research each suspect, crossing out ones with public alibis until he was at a list of twenty.</p><p>He checked the clock once his work was finished, realizing that it was time for him to go home. Bones creaking as he sat up, Corpse gathered his things and shrugged his jacket back on (the AC was malfunctioning and the station was hot as <em> hell </em>) and left work.</p><p>The weather was cooling down, given that it was the evening, so Corpse decided to skip the subway and take the long way home. <em> Maybe I’ll stop at the gym for a bit and then eat out. Yeah. Fuck it, why not? </em> He decided and turned left to get to the gym. He had a ton of nerves to work through anyways, and his locker had an extra pair of workout clothes.</p><p>Luckily, he ran into nobody that he knew (not that he knew too many people, of course, because anxiety dictated that he shouldn’t) as he went through his reps and cooled down on the treadmill. He had worked up a healthy sweat along with an appetite, showering and changing quickly before heading to a new restaurant called <em> The Comfy Café </em>(alright, maybe it was a café, but he was a sucker for breakfast as dinner, plus it was new and relatively cheap) . </p><p>He waited in line–which was pretty short, so no complaints–and checked his phone for any messages. There were two from Rae asking him to call her so she could rant about her day which he ignored and one from Jack reminding him to go to sleep at a reasonable time. Corpse responded with a winky face and a cheeky “no promises” before shutting his phone off. Quickly enough, he was in the front, and was greeted with the surprised face of his neighbor. </p><p>“Corpse!” He exclaimed, smiling happily, “Nice to see you here, welcome.”</p><p>“Hello Sykkuno,” the taller responded, “Nice to see you too. I didn’t know you worked here.”<em> Of course you wouldn’t, you idiot. You never asked him where he worked and you’ve never been here before. </em></p><p>Sykkuno rubbed the back of his neck abashedly. “Yeah… I actually own the place. We relocated from the other side of LA, which is why I moved.” </p><p>“Oh, cool.”</p><p>“Yeah!” </p><p>They stood there in an awkward silence for what felt like a whole five minutes before Sykkuno broke it. “So, what would you like to order?”</p><p>“What would you recommend? I’m down for basically anything right now.”</p><p>“Uh… I may be biased but I really recommend the french toast with applewood smoked bacon. That’s only if you’re okay with eating breakfast for dinner, though, haha! I’m a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’m very biased, but–” </p><p>Corpse cut him off, sympathizing greatly with the anxious rambling. “I <em> love </em>breakfast for dinner, Sykkuno, don’t worry. I’ll take that.”</p><p>The café owner brightened lightly and smiled as he nodded his head. “Alright, sounds good! That’ll be…” </p><p>***</p><p>Sykkuno’s recommendation was <em> on the nose, holy shit. </em> Corpse wasn’t a big foodie, but he could appreciate a good meal, and it was <em> good. </em> He was situated in the corner, able to eat without anyone really looking at him ( <em> thank god, he hated eating when people were looking at him). </em>He couldn’t finish all of it, so when Sykkuno walked over he asked for a box. As his neighbor grabbed a folded box out of his apron, Corpse worried if he insulted the man by not eating it all.</p><p>“It’s really good, I swear, I just can't eat too much unless I want my throat to get fucked up.” He explained.</p><p>“No worries!” Sykkuno said as he boxed up Corpse’s meal. “Um… we’re closing up soon and I’m still new to this neighborhood. Do you mind if we walk home together?”</p><p>Corpse paused for a bit, weighing the ups and downs. <em> Well, he’s nice, and it’s the responsible thing to do. He doesn’t seem like he’d be all that good at defending himself, so I guess it’s better for me to join him. This isn’t the best neighborhood, anyways. </em> “Sure.”</p><p>Sykkuno’s face lit up, and Corpse hastily put his mask back up to cover his rapidly-warming cheeks. “Great! You just sit tight while I close up. Thank you.”</p><p>He sat tight, knee bouncing as he fidgeted with his jacket’s zipper. He waited a good 5 minutes or so before Sykkuno emerged from the back, his apron left behind. He was wearing a cute anime tee tucked into a pair of jeans.</p><p>“You watch anime?” Corpse decided to strike up conversation as Sykkuno locked the door behind them.</p><p>“Yep! I’m not entirely sure what my favorite is, but I like just about everything!”</p><p>“Really? I vibe with that.”</p><p>Sykkuno laughed, “Great! Maybe we could watch something together at one point?”</p><p>Corpse’s back straightened, “Yeah, uh-uhm maybe.” A raindrop fell onto his nose. <em> Huh? </em>“We may want to hurry. I uh… think it may start to rai–” it began to pour. </p><p>A shocked shriek and laugh erupted from Sykkuno as they were suddenly pummeled by the storm. “Run!” he cried, pulling a black beanie over his hair to keep it dry. Before Corpse knew it, they were racing to their apartment complex. He was caught off guard by how speedy the shorter male was, beating him by a good ten seconds. They were both panting, adrenaline pumping through their veins as they caught their breath beneath the awning of the complex. </p><p>“Oh no…” Corpse frowned, realizing that his boxed leftovers were soaked. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>Sykkuno grabbed the box and set it in the trash, “Don’t worry about it, Corpse! I can make it for you another time, for free. I was the one that got you caught in the rain anyways.” The two started to walk inside.</p><p>“Still, I was looking forward to eating that tomorrow morning, and you put effort into it,” the taller laughed awkwardly, pressing his fingernails into the palms of his hands. Sykkuno noticed, however, and unwrapped Corpse’s hands, setting them to the man’s sides. </p><p>“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” He soothed. “I make it all the time. I have the ingredients at my place, even. I can stop by tomorrow morning at 7 and we can eat together if you’re up by then.” He offered.</p><p>Corpse shook his head, “I’m not the biggest fan of eating in front of people.” He murmured, “Sorry.”</p><p>Sykkuno smiled, shaking his head. “You’re all good. How about I just drop it off at your door? No charge.” </p><p>“You don’t need to do that.”</p><p>“I want to, though. Consider it a thank you for walking me here.” Sykkuno said, and Corpse noticed that they had arrived at Sykkuno’s door.</p><p>“Oh. Uh… thanks.” He said dumbly, and stiffly opened his own door, shutting himself inside and letting out a breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding.</p><p>Corpse stood there for a good 5 minutes or so, recovering from talking, and then sprinting, and then talking again. <em> Oh god I probably made a total fool out of myself. I hate this. Why am I– </em> his phone began to ring, snapping him out of his thoughts as he went to check the contact number. <em> Rae. Right, she wanted me to call her. </em></p><p>He picked up. “Hi, Rae.”</p><p>“CORPSE!” She shouted into his ear, making him wince. “There you are! You hadn’t responded to any of my texts.” </p><p>“I barely ever do, Rae.” He said, shrugging out of his clothes and into an old t-shirt to sleep in.</p><p>“I know, and it’s <em> rude. </em> Anyways, guess what?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Drumroll, please.” She instructed, and Corpse rolled his eyes, chortling as he sat down at his desk and provided her a drumroll. “The raid for the drug case is tomorrow! I’m leading it, and boy does it feel <em> good </em> to crack this case. It’s been stressing me out for weeks. I’m glad to finally have some closure.”</p><p>Corpse smiled. “I’m happy for you, Rae. Be sure to stay safe, though. Things are crazy right now.” He frowned at his nails, noticing that the polish almost entirely chipped off. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of black nail polish, setting his phone on his desk and putting it on speaker as he began to paint.</p><p>“Right, you have that nasty quadruple-murder case, right? How’s that going?” She asked as he worked on his left pointer finger.</p><p>Sighing, Corpse responded, “It’s a pain in the ass. The range of possible suspects is annoyingly broad. All of our victims were hermits, so there’s barely any information there. I got more leads from the bartenders than from any friends or family.”</p><p>“Yeesh,” Rae hissed sympathetically. “That sucks, dude. Make sure to take breaks, though. I know you always end up getting worked up over cases like these.”</p><p>“I know,” Corpse acknowledged, “I’m trying to avoid that this time around. I went to the gym today, got some food at a new café, talked with my neighbor–”</p><p>Rae <em> oohed, </em> and Corpse groaned. “A neighbor? Aren’t all of your neighbors, like, self proclaimed ‘influencers,’ though?” (A good amount of them were, and it led to many terrible interactions for Corpse).</p><p>“Not the newest one–he actually owns the café I went to. He isn’t bad, surprisingly. His name is Sykkuno and he’s a great cook.” Corpse waved his left hand in the air to dry it faster, leaning back in his chair.</p><p>“Huh? Corpse are you–are you making a <em> friend? </em>” Rae teased.</p><p>The younger felt his face heat up. “Shut up, Rae. You know I’m capable of making friends. You’re my friend.”</p><p>“No,” she disagreed. “I’m like, your <em> sister, </em> I adopted you. This is you actually interacting with someone outside of the badge. It’s a good thing.” </p><p>Corpse chuffed out a laugh, halfheartedly retorting, “You’re so weird.” And then, “Bye, Rae. I need to finish painting my nails.” His excuse was lazy, but his voice was tired and he <em> did </em> still have his right hand to do.</p><p>She groaned, but gave in. “I wasn’t done… Goodnight Corpse. God knows you need the sleep.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! So yes, Sykkuno is a cafe owner when he isn’t busy committing felonies! Thank you all again for the positive response, it’s always appreciated. Please leave suggestions below and have a wonderful day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>ABC’s: alibis, breakfasts, and corpses</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Nothing much to say here, other than I hope you enjoy! I just want to say that if you’d like to check out the playlist for this (aka what i listen to while writing this, it’s all over the place), lmk in the comments! This is a shorter chapter, so apologies! Oh, also happy first day of snow to all DMV area readers! I’m very glad we’ve finally gotten some snow :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Corpse was awoken by a knock on his front door. He blearily crawled out from under his sheets, rubbing the sleep dust out of his eyes. “Hello?” He called out.</p><p>“Um… it’s your neighbor, Sy-Sykkuno. Just letting you know that the french toast is right outside your door.” It took him a moment, but Corpse finally remembered what was going on.</p><p>“O-oh! Thank you, wow. Uh… I’ll open the door now, I guess. Sorry, I just woke up so please excuse the fact that I look like a dead person.” He joked, haphazardly putting his mask on and opening the door to see Sykkuno holding a plate stacked with french toast and bacon Corpse’s mouth watered instantly at the sight. “I feel bad… Are you sure you don’t want anything? I think I have a twenty on the counter–”</p><p>“You’re fine, Corpse. Seriously, alright? Here,” Sykkuno chided him, handing him the plate. “Return the plate whenever you feel like it, not like I have many guests anyways, haha!” He looked Corpse up and down one more time, going a little pink. “And you look nothing like a dead person, by the way. Too cute. Have a nice day, Corpse!”</p><p>With that, Sykkuno turned and headed down the hall, leaving a sleepy Corpse in his wake. Corpse stood there for a second, still processing the conversation. He looked at the retreating figure of Sykkuno, then down at the plate he was holding, then back at Sykkuno, then to the plate, and pinched himself.</p><p>When he sat down at his table, he unplugged his phone from the charger and texted Rae. </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>crops: rae i think my neighbor just flirted with me but my brain is too tired to make sense of it help</p>
  <p>cRAEzy: neighbor?!?! flirt?!?! corPSE?!?! is he cute? the one from the other day, right?</p>
  <p>crops: yes but that isn’t what ur here for</p>
  <p>cRAEzy: what did he say?</p>
  <p>crops: well he was dropping off a breakfast for me and then said i was too cute to look like a dead person</p>
  <p>cRAEzy: i feel like context is important here but! he called u cute!! and he made u breakfast?! corpse baby you are living the chick flick life right now</p>
  <p>cRAEzy: also speaking of which when are we rewatching the noteboko</p>
  <p>cRAEzy: *notebook</p>
  <p>crops: rachel i am having a crisis</p>
  <p>cRAEzy: eat ur breakfast and actually get ready to go to work for once, stinky</p>
  <p>crops: &gt;:(</p>
</blockquote><p>Corpse gave up and ate his breakfast, despite wanting to go to bed (it was 7 AM, he was never up at 7 AM). He set his phone down after a while and decided to get dressed before heading to work a bit early.</p><p>The streets were still wet from yesterday’s rain when Corpse left the building to get to the Metro, reminding him of the earlier events. He blushed a little, thinking of Sykkuno’s comment from the morning. Corpse shook his head, letting out an exasperated sigh. <em> He’s probably just being friendly. Fuck, why do I always read into these things? </em> </p><p>The train was relatively full, but there was an empty seat and Corpse felt a headache coming on, so he elected to sit. There was instant regret, however, as he leaned away from a man coughing into his hand beside him. <em> Ew. </em> Shaking his head at the lack of hygiene, Corpse reminded himself of what was on the agenda for the day. <em> Alibis. I need to narrow down my list to people that don’t have alibis. Even then, these aren’t guaranteed culprits. This is a new MO, after all. </em> He sighed, shifting away from his seatmate as he waited for the train to arrive at his stop.</p><p>***</p><p>“Where were you from October 2nd at 5 PM to 10 AM on October 3rd?”</p><p>“With my wife and kid. Dude, I don’t even know what you’re asking me about, but I’ve been clean for like five years now.”</p><p>***</p><p>“What were you doing on September 6th and September 7th?”</p><p>“I was doing a truck delivery to Missouri. If you need the paper and accounts I can ask my boss–”</p><p>***</p><p>“Who were you with on September 16th?” </p><p>“I was alone with my girl.”</p><p>“That’s a lie!” Corpse grinned. <em> Gotcha. </em>“Your girlfriend Leah said that you were gone the whole day.”</p><p>The suspect groaned. “I was with my <em> other </em> girl. Here, call Jaya.” He said, gesturing to his phone.</p><p>
  <em> Dammit. </em>
</p><p>***</p><p>Corpse was at his desk in the bullpen, smacking his head into the metal repeatedly. Rae winced sympathetically at the <em> CLANG </em> that rang out at every impact. She couldn’t even help because she was preparing for the raid, so Corpse was left alone to his own devices. He was about to make skull-to-desk contact again when a hand got in the way. He stopped, and looked up at the owner of said hand.</p><p>“Jack?” He asked, vision blurred due to minor head trauma.</p><p>The Irishman shook his head disapprovingly. “Buddy, stop that.” He glanced over the mess of Corpse’s desk. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“None of the potential suspects are the perp. All the alibis check out, so we’re back at square one.” </p><p>“That sucks.”</p><p>“Wow, Jack, I hadn’t noticed! Thanks for pointing it out!” Corpse snapped, before immediately feeling guilty. “Sorry, I’m stressed.” He apologized, rubbing his eyes with the side of his hands.</p><p>Jack hummed thoughtfully, setting his hand on Corpse’s back and rubbing soothingly. “I’m sorry, too, man. Get some rest soon, you’ve been questioning people all day long.” </p><p>“Maybe. I’m going to revisit the crime scene first, though.” Corpse shrugged and stood up, calling Toast over. “See you, Jack.” </p><p>“Bye, Corpse. Take care, you.”</p><p>***</p><p>The crime scene was just as gory as it had seemed initially, though the smell of drying blood seemed even worse. Blood was splattered all over the white sheets and comforter of the bed, a few drops having hit the ceiling, signifying a clean slash. “Forensics already wiped the place.” Toast reminded him. “There were no hair strands, cloth fibers, or anything else left by the perp. He sure knew how to clean up after himself.” He noted. “Well, except for the body. And blood. He left those behind.”</p><p>“Great detective work, Toast.” Corpse rolled his eyes, but smiled a little as he looked around for any missed details.</p><p>Toast replied in a terrible british accent. “Why thank you, Mr. Corpse, sir.”</p><p>“You’re very welcome.” Corpse returned the accent just as badly, but snorted afterwards. He cleared his throat before continuing, </p><p>The sheets were tucked and the bed was made, likely by the perp, given that the victim was a bit of a slob. “Is he a neat freak or just really thorough?” He wondered aloud. There was a book on the bedside table titled <em> How to Spice Up Your Sex Life; Volume 2 </em> which they only felt a little bad for laughing about (there’s a volume 2? Corpse didn’t even know there was a volume 1).</p><p>“There wasn’t any fluids outside of blood and sweat on the bed, though, and there was no signs of significant sexual abuse on the body. I don’t think they had intercourse, though.” Toast reasoned. “Especially if the guy is homophobic. The vics <em> have </em> all been naked, though, and there has been some bruising post-mortem.” </p><p>“Yeah. I’m still on the fence as to whether this is a weird fetish or not,” Corpse replied. “How old was the body when it was discovered, again?” </p><p>“Three days. Neighbors complained of a bad odor and the police were called. That’s when the body was found.” The older recited.</p><p>“So there’s basically nothing here,” Corpse surmised, “Let’s check through the other rooms one more time before we head out.”</p><p>“Alright. Meet at the entrance in 10, let me know if you find anything.” Toast said before they split up.</p><p>“Will do,” Corpse nodded and headed to the kitchen. He looked through the fridge–a sad thing, honestly. It had five bottles of alcohol for every two pieces of edible food. Scrunching his nose in disgust, he moved on to recheck the oven, and stove before rummaging in the drawers. </p><p>There were an array of different knives in the drawer, but none of them matched the murder weapon. The murder weapon was either a small chef’s knife or a kitchen utility knife, and was likely kept on the killer’s person given that the weapon was nowhere to be found. <em> This killer is bold, but smart. They have to have some sort of experience. Maybe janitors? Former law enforcement? My god, this is rough. </em></p><p>Soon enough, Corpse and Toast were back at the entrance, empty-handed and feeling relatively shitty. </p><p>“Nothing?” The shorter endeavored, getting a nod in response. “Alright, well… I’m headed home, Corpse. Do you want a ride?” Toast asked good-naturedly.</p><p>The younger shook his head, “No thanks. I appreciate it, though. I think I’ll just take the Metro. See you tomorrow.”</p><p>“See you tomorrow, man.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shorter chapter, yes (very sorry! not much to cover in this chapter, unfortunately), but I’m hoping that tomorrow’s chapter makes up for it! As always, let me know what you think in the comments and take care! :3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There’s blood on his hands and a spark in his eye, and darling you’re about to die, die, die.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And here’s a little shift of a chapter for you all! Was a pain to write this given that this is Sykkuno being not babey (at all. This man is,,, perhaps a little bit unstable, but yknow we still love him :,)) for once but I hope I did alright! Also hopin’ this compensates for the shorter chapter yesterday. Enjoy!</p><p>Major TW: This is a crime/murder story, so although it’s a given, I just want to warn you that there is explicit murder and violence in the chapter along with some suggestive content. If I need to up the rating for the fic, let me know, but I don’t plan on doing so unless I decide to write actual explicit smut. However, if you feel like it’s better for me to label it as explicit anyways, be sure to let me know.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sykkuno eyed a camera surreptitiously as he was led into another man’s home by the arm. The man–Sykkuno was pretty sure the guy’s name was Jake, or Josh, or something, was pretty wasted and would be very easy to overpower. Sykkuno had picked him up from a new bar a few blocks away, flirting a little and learning about him before heading to the man’s house. He had been nursing a negroni throughout the night and the buzz of the alcohol mixed with the adrenaline coursing through him gave him a heady feeling.</p><p>“So… what was your name again?” The man asked, undressing hastily while Sykkuno took his sweet time looking around. It was a nice place, honestly. Getting an honest-to-goodness house in LA wasn’t cheap, either.</p><p>“You can just call me Sy, alright?” Sykkuno said, shrugging off his jeans so that he was only in his boxers.</p><p>The drunk male replied, “Okay. Y’know, you’re basically fucking a celebrity right now. I’m an influencer, actually.”</p><p>“Really?” Sykkuno tried his best to sound impressed. He received a hum in reply as he set his clothes a safe distance away from the scene to avoid any splattering. “Get on the bed and start to prep yourself. Keep your eyes closed until I tell you otherwise, alright?”</p><p>“Oh, okay. We’re doing it like that.” Jake-Josh-Jason (?) muttered. “Alright, Sy.” He closed his eyes, words slurred and mind dreary.</p><p>Sykkuno grinned, slipping his gloves on and grabbing the knife out of his bag. He turned his victim onto his back, straddling him and held the knife a centimeter away from his throat. “Okay, count to three with me and then you can open your eyes.”</p><p>“One.”</p><p>“Two.”</p><p>“Three.” Eyes opened, suddenly panicked and then pained and then <em> oh, so dead. </em>Sykkuno hummed happily as he drew the knife against the man’s throat in a single, fluid motion, hot blood spraying against him and the surrounding environment. The blood gargled from the gash, and Sykkuno frowned at the display, shutting it with his hand forcefully so that the blood left from the mouth instead of the neck. “Shhhh…” he hushed. “Quiet, now.”</p><p>Eventually, the noises quieted and his victim was fully limp. <em>Wonderful, now it’s time for the fun part,</em> he cocked his head to the side, focused, and began to trace the knife over the ribs but under the skin, fileting the body. <em>Just killing them has been getting boring…</em> <em>I have time to be creative, </em>he bit his lip before carving some leaves intricately into the skin, playing around with line weight and shading. <em>Well, they aren’t perfect, and I’m no artist, but I’ll have more practice in the future, I guess. It’s pretty either way.</em></p><p>Sykkuno whistled a cheerful tune to himself while he fixed the sheets and tidied up the room, clearing away all evidence of his person. He went to his bag and grabbed his body wash (it wasn’t something too cheap, but not very pricey either–just a cucumber one from the grocery store) before heading to the bathroom and wiping himself down with soapy, wet paper towels, flushing them down the toilet once he was finished. </p><p>“Well, that was fun.” He spoke to the body on the bed as he shuffled into his clothes, adjusting his mask and beanie so that they covered him adaquately. “Thank you for sharing this experience with me.”</p><p>He washed the knife off in the sink and stuck it into his bag, covering it with a cloth. “This was so difficult to carry out the first time… I guess I’ve matured, haha.” He reminisced while looking outside to check how dark it was–basically pitch black sans street lights, wonderful.</p><p>He walked over to the kitchen to grab a beer–a relatively fancy one, too. This guy had money, huh–before heading out, snapping the cap off and pocketing it before taking a quiet sip. He headed to the subway, depositing the emptied beer bottle in a recycling bin ten minutes later before shouldering his way into the train. While in the crowded train he removed his mask and beanie, stuffing them into his bag.</p><p>Finally done with his process, Sykkuno pondered what would happen in the days to come. The body would be found within the next few days, for sure, and it would be added to the case building against him. Well, it wasn’t necessarily against <em> him, </em> since he wasn’t known to be the killer, but it still was against actions he did, so it was basically against him. <em> The head detective is said to be good, too. I’ll need to look into that as well.  </em></p><p>Sykkuno made his way towards the complex as he stepped off the escalator–there was only a block left, so he walked leisurely and without worry. He stopped when he noticed a familiar figure across the street from him. “Hey, Corpse!” He called out, waving cheerily and receiving a meek raised hand in response. </p><p>“Hello, Sykkuno. Thank you again for the breakfast. It was wonderful.” The taller male spoke as they began to walk side-by-side.</p><p>Corpse was different to Sykkuno, for sure. He, despite having an intimidating voice and physique, was altogether quite shy and anxious. It was incredibly endearing to Sykkuno, and made him feel a little more powerful in contrast. Plus, he was just very… cute. Sykkuno found himself caught off guard by the contrasting emotions he felt around his neighbor, though. One one hand, he wanted to slit the man’s throat while on the other he wanted to… protect him? It wasn’t good.</p><p>He cleared his throat, coughing into his hand. “Of course, Corpse. It was no biggie, after all. It’s what friends do. We-we are friends, right?”</p><p>“For sure, Sykkuno. You’re the best neighbor I’ve had in the history of my time in this complex, so I’d be happy to call you a friend.” <em> Oh, well I don’t know if the best neighbor is an accurate title. Most of your neighbors probably didn’t have a bodycount of 5. </em> </p><p>Sykkuno wondered how easy the man would be to overpower while drunk. He was only an inch or two shorter than Corpse, but the younger man had much more obvious muscle mass. Shaking his head to clear away the thoughts, the older man laughed. “I’m happy to call you one as well, Corpse. Would you like to eat dinner together? I know you don’t like eating with others, and it’s actually pretty late and I’m not sure whether or not you’ve had dinner yet, but–” <em> Shut up! You’re probably going to end up killing him, Sykkuno, what are you doing?  </em></p><p>Corpse cut him off. “That sounds great, Sykkuno. I may not eat too much, but I like spending time with you. Apologies if I cut it short, though, I’m kind of tired.”</p><p><em> Well, there’s no harm in having fun beforehand… I’ll take it! </em> Sykkuno decided and led Corpse to his apartment. “Watch out for Bimbus–he’s my dog.” The door opened and he scooped Bimbus up, showing him to Corpse (who promptly cooed at the little dog, and Sykkuno blatantly ignored the heat that rose in his cheeks at the image). “You can sit right at the table over there, or if you’d like you can help me in the kitchen. Are you vegetarian or anything?”</p><p>“Um… no, I’m not. I was vegan for like… four years, but not anymore.” Corpse confirmed, hands shaking a little. “Sorry, nerves.”</p><p>“You’re all good!” Sykkuno reassured him, setting Bimbus down. “If you don’t feel confident to work in the kitchen you could set the table. Does chicken sound good with you? I have a really good recipe for chicken pesto, and I’ve got a lot of basil growing on my balcony. Oh! Actually, scratch setting the table, could you pick some basil?” He handed Corpse a small colander. “Just enough to fill this, alright?”</p><p>Corpse hummed in affirmation before headed to the balcony to go pick some leaves,  Bimbus trailing after him excitedly.</p><p>Sykkuno watched him walk away, smiling. The man was very cute, that much was true. “Corpse, are you old enough to drink alcohol?” He joked, but also wanted to know if the man wanted any. </p><p>A voice called back. “Uh, yeah I’m 23! But not a lot, please, it tends to fuck with my throat.” <em> Huh, he’s young. And also difficult to get drunk, then. But maybe he’s a lightweight? Given his size, though, I doubt it. </em> “Also, which one of these is basil?”</p><p>“The shiny one! If you rub it it smells kind of like pesto!” Sykkuno wondered briefly if Corpse knew how to cook at all if he didn’t know what basil was. <em> Eh, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. </em></p><p>Corpse came back in quickly enough, colander filled with basil (there were a few confused mint leaves in there, but Sykkuno decided to not mention that), “Sorry it took me a bit.”</p><p>“No need to apologize, Corpse! Seriously, you’ve done nothing wrong. Like, you have done nothing badly at all during my time knowing you and yet you apologize more than anyone I’ve ever met. Be more confident, okay? You’re doing great.”</p><p>“Sorr–uh… Th-thank you, Sykkuno.” Corpse corrected himself, and Sykkuno shot him a proud grin. </p><p>As he washed the leaves, he asked Corpse to grab him a knife to cut the chicken with. “Could you get me a chef’s knife? It’s in the drawer to your left–yeah, that’s the one.” He instructed as he rinsed the basil. The younger paused, looking into the knife drawer–was he spacing out? “Corpse?” </p><p>“Oh! Sorry. Uh… shouldn’t you have one smaller than a chef’s knife, though?”</p><p>Sykkuno cocked his head at his companion, “A utility knife?” <em> Well, I have one, but it’s in my bag and needs to be disinfected. </em> “It’s dirty right now, I’m gonna run the dishes tonight. Could you pass me the chef’s knife?” </p><p>“Yeah, my bad.” Corpse apologized, and Sykkuno made mental note of the interaction but left it behind. </p><p>“No problem, haha! Do you have any allergies?” Corpse shook his head at the question, so Sykkuno decided to just go through with the dish. “Alright, it’ll be ready in about ten minutes. Would you like to set the table with me while we wait? You don’t have to, of course, you’re my guest–why am I even asking you, my bad.” </p><p>“It’s alright, I don’t mind.” Corpse replied. “Where are the plates?”</p><p>“Cabinet to your left. Just grab the blue ceramic ones.”</p><p>“Okay, thanks.”</p><p>***</p><p>When the table was set and dinner was made, Sykkuno plated it and set it between the two. “Sorry if it isn’t perfect, the basil isn’t entirely in season right now, but Cali weather is forgiving.” </p><p>“I’m sure it’s great,” Corpse replied, shifting in his seat nervously. “Give me a second to calm down, uh…” Sykkuno watched as Corpse looked down at his own drink–a hard cider before glancing back at Sykkuno’s glass. “Just water?” He questioned. </p><p>“Yeah, uh…” <em> I stole a beer from a guy I killed–</em>“I had some earlier. Are you sure you’re alright with taking your mask off? You really don’t need to if it’ll upset you.” Sykkuno rambled, “If you don’t feel comfortable I can just lend you another plate and you can take it home, it doesn’t bother me at all.”</p><p>Corpse shook his head, “No, I want to, I just freak out sometimes. It’s stupid–” </p><p>“That stuff is never stupid, Corpse, I promise you. Don’t pressure yourself too much, I can’t say I’ll understand what you’re dealing with entirely, but I have some issues as well. No stress, I’m sure you’re very handsome beneath the mask.” Sykkuno comforted his friend. He’d only seen Corpse’s face once, though, and it was very briefly in his café as the man was eating.</p><p>“Thank you, Sykkuno. I’ll just…” he shakily pulled the mask down, staring at his plate. “...yeah.”</p><p>Sykkuno tried his damndest to not stare, but <em> wow </em> was he attractive. He had pretty chapped lips–not that Sykkuno lingered there, or anything–and sharp bone structure. A couple of faded acne scars graced the sides of his cheeks near his hairline, but it didn’t do anything to hinder his appearance. Altogether, <em> very pretty. </em> </p><p>His neighbor’s cheeks suddenly heated up, and Sykkuno averted his gaze. “Did I say that out loud?” At the slight nod he got in response, he flustered as well. “Oh, geez, sorry if that made you uncomfortable! Let’s uh… let’s dig in.”</p><p>He received a hum in reply, and Sykkuno was all too eager to dig into his food. <em> This is so awkward… </em> he scratched the back of his neck, sneaking another glance at Corpse (who was, thankfully, preoccupied with his food). Still, the silence was a little uncomfortable. “Do you uh… mind if I put on some music? It can be low, I just…” </p><p>“Go ahead,” Corpse said after a moment of chewing (and swallowing, and Sykkuno <em>definitely </em> did not watch the man’s Adam's apple bob with the fervor of a holy man). “I’ll listen to anything.”</p><p>“Alright, will do.” Sykkuno stood up as swiftly as he could and switched his phone on, turning the volume up and playing a simple piano playlist. “I didn’t want to do anything with lyrics, just so that we could talk a little. Only if you feel like talking, of course.”</p><p>Corpse nodded, “That sounds fine. This is really good, by the way. Who taught you to cook?”</p><p>Sykkuno took to the conversation like a fish took to water. “My mother did, actually! A lot of recipes I have come from her and my grandma, actually. Lots of others are from friends over the years, though.”</p><p>“That’s very cool. How extensive is your repertoire?” Corpse indulged, and Sykkuno could have laughed because it <em> almost </em> felt like an interrogation. A friendly one, of course.</p><p>“It isn’t all that impressive, really. There’s a lot I have to learn. I know a good amount of Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, but I didn’t really know if that was your thing, so that’s why I went with something more basic, I guess.” He shrugged.</p><p>Corpse finished his meal and set his fork and knife beside one another on his plate. <em> Oh, good table manners. Unexpected, but appreciated. </em> “Woah! I never learned how to cook anything outside of ramen, so you’re definitely ahead of me at the least.” He joked, smiling a little (and <em> wow, </em> was that smile amazing or what?). “I’d love to try some of your more traditional dishes, though. I’m not picky–I can’t do anything too spicy, though.” He trailed on, “That’s only if you’d like to, though. This could just be a one time thing, I never asked.”</p><p>“I’d like to cook a Vietnamese dish for you sometime,” Sykkuno responded. <em> “Bun cha </em> may take a little longer than 20 minutes, but it’s my favorite. I’d love for you to try it sometime.”</p><p>The younger’s neck went a little bit red and he coughed into his sleeve. “That sounds great.”</p><p>“Wonderful! I’ll clean up, would you like dessert? I have some ice cream in the freezer.”</p><p>“No, thank you.” Corpse said. “I’ve already eaten a good amount today and I don’t want to trigger my GERD too badly. Plus, you probably wake up early to set up the café. Uhm… take care.”</p><p><em> Ah, makes sense. </em> “Alright. I’m gonna clean up and head to bed. Goodnight?” Sykkuno ended awkwardly.</p><p>“Goodnight.” Corpse replied as Sykkuno opened the door for him, “Thanks.”</p><p>“No problem.” Sykkuno sighed in relief as the door shut behind him, squeezing his eyes together tightly before releasing a breath. <em> “Wow,” </em>he murmured to himself, “What a night.”</p><p>He undressed, showered, and pulled on a new pair of briefs and a brandless sweatshirt (which he thrifted for $6, what a deal!) before putting all his dirty clothes in the wash and running his dishwasher (murder weapon included in the load, of course). He rubbed at his eyes a little, yawning as he made his way to his bedroom. <em> The alcohol and excitement had finally caught up to me for the night</em>, he deduced smartly before instantly collapsing into bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There we are! A Sykkuno chapter for you all :) I’m still on the fence about his character, so let me know what you think, please! Also, I'm not very good when it comes to writing violence (see as: before this all i wrote was shitty introspective stuff so i'm vastly inexperienced). Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can’t wait to see you all tomorrow &lt;3 Apologies for any errors, I’m still without a beta (no worries, though) and edited this at 6 AM in the morning with no sleep in inventory so :,) thanks for reading &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Corpse finds a body and watches a Ghibli film.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everyone! Writing this chapter has been difficult for me for… honestly no reason outside of my mental health acting up. I want to thank you all for the kind comments and kudos, they really keep me going on this fic and ended up stirring me enough to make this a 4000 word chapter so &lt;3 </p><p>also! apologies if you haven’t watched grave of the fireflies by studio ghibli, because that film is referenced a lot in this chapter! if you havent seen it, i highly recommend doing so :) i tried my best to avoid spoiling anything, but you should still watch it just because,,, ouch. apologies for corpse being a bit ooc in this, but i really do believe he’s a big softie, and kinda just wanted someone to cry at a movie like i do (it’s an ugly scene)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Corpse rubbed at his eyes tiredly as he closed the door behind him and locked it. Don’t get him wrong, spending time with his neighbor was great, Sykkuno was very kind, but Corpse had really gone out of his comfort zone (not that it was a bad thing, per say, just very emotionally taxing). He coughed into his elbow to clear his throat from phlegm before making his way further into his apartment, taking off his jacket and swinging it onto a chair before pouring himself a glass of water.</p><p>As he was sipping on the drink, his phone began to ring from his jacket pocket. Sighing, he pulled it out of the discarded clothing and answered before checking the caller ID. He expected it to be Rae, naturally, but was surprised to hear Toast’s voice come from the other end. “Corpse?</p><p>“Yeah Toast? What’s up, man?” He replied, setting his glass down on the countertop and tapping it nervously with his fingertips.</p><p>“You need to check your texts more, dude. They just found another body.” Toast told him, and Corpse began to scramble to put his jacket back on. He hadn’t even finished his glass of water.</p><p>“Where? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”</p><p>“On La Brea, close to 8th Street. I got you a coffee, head on over.”</p><p>“Shit. Thanks, man. Will do.” Corpse hung up as he fumbled with his keys. Soon enough, he left and began to hurry down the stairs. It was dark out, but the sky was more of a dark gray due to smog and light pollution. He broke into a jog towards the Metro, pulling his mask up and texting Toast as he reached his train.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Corpse: omw. on the train rn so im not sure if this will go through or not</p>
  <p>Toast: I received it. Crime scene is taped off. This is the freshest kill we’ve found yet.</p>
  <p>Corpse: alright, see you soon</p>
  <p>Toast: See you.</p>
</blockquote><p>Corpse was relieved that it was so late, because the train was relatively empty sans for a few wasted white girls and frat boys (one of the girls tried to flirt with him before turning around and vomiting on a guy’s lap. It would have phased him if he wasn’t so damn exhausted). </p><p>Eventually, he reached the station nearest to the address Toast provided, and he disembarked. He paced himself into another quick jog as he headed over, which had his side cramping uncomfortably a few minutes in. The streets weren’t too busy in the residential area, though, which was a blessing given that he looked a mess. </p><p>Finally, he reached the scene. Cop cars were parked outside and the house was crossed off with yellow police tape. He flashed his badge before stepping over the tape and entering the house, meeting Toast in the foyer. “What have we got?”</p><p>Toast handed him a coffee which was graciously accepted. “Same as the last few. The vic is 27 year old Jason Kean. A trust fund baby with an alcoholic streak and a miniscule social life. Had an Instagram account with 15k followers, but that’s likely unrelated. Body is only 4 and a half hours old”</p><p>“Great.” Corpse remarked dryly. “Has anyone told the family?”</p><p>“They live in San Francisco and we’re currently unable to get a hold of them. They’re likely asleep, given that it’s near midnight.” Toast said, leading Corpse up the stairs towards the scene of the crime. “He was killed in the bedroom, naked. The perp decided to turn him into a sketchpad, apparently.” </p><p>“What do you mean by that?” Corpse asked as he snapped on a pair of gloves and readjusted the plastic coverings on his shoes (which, despite looking very silly, helped from messing up any evidence). </p><p>“See for yourself.” Toast muttered as they walked into the bedroom, and Corpse paused, taken aback by the blood which was, frankly, <em> all over the damn bed. </em></p><p>The metallic smell burnt his nostrils and he sniffled. “Christ,” he croaked as he stepped towards the body, taking note of the leaf-like doodles done via knife. “This is sick.” He grumbled. Toast gave a hum in affirmation, so Corpse continued. “Same beginning attack. The victim was likely aroused and <em> definitely </em> intoxicated. Knife wound in the neck with blood splattering the ceiling indicates a clean slash… and the rest seemed to be done either post-mortem or while the victim bled out.”</p><p>Toast continued the observations, “Bruising and minor bone fractures near the neck gash along with the fact that the majority of the blood left from the mouth brings up the possibility that the killer held the wound closed. Whether it was to keep the victim alive for longer or to just have the blood leave through the mouth, I can’t say.”</p><p>“Look here,” Corpse pointed to the bruising around his neck. “The bruising near the pelvis and blood patterns suggests that the killer straddled the victim before killing them. They didn’t approach from the side, and only used one hand to cover the neck. Given the strength needed to do that, it was their dominant hand. And if you look at the angle…” he said, waiting for it to click for Toast.</p><p>It did. “The killer used their left hand… our perp is left handed!” He exclaimed. “Corpse, you beautiful man!” Toast praised, making Corpse blush and smile behind his mask.</p><p>“Finally a break in this case,” he laughed before realizing <em> wait there’s a dead body right there, I probably shouldn’t laugh. </em> He cleared his throat. “Right, have forensics found anything?”</p><p>Toast shook his head and the mood shifted back into professionalism. “No, unfortunately. Our killer either wears gloves or just washes away his fingerprints like a fucking <em> pro.</em> The asshole’s good.”</p><p>Corpse left the bedroom to pace in the hallway, yawning into his hand a little. “Was anything stolen? This guy is rich, it could provide a motive.” </p><p>Toast rose a brow at his exhaustion, but didn’t mention it as he responded, “Nothing valuable or noticeable at the very least. This means the killer isn’t after money, though.”</p><p>“Process of elimination, I guess.” Corpse looked away and tugged his mask down to take a sip of his coffee. “What were the perp’s movements?”</p><p>“Same old, same old.” Toast said. “Picked Mr. Kean up at a bar wearing his signature mask and beanie, got him undressed and killed him in the bedroom before cleaning off in the bathroom and leaving out the front door an hour or so later.</p><p>Corpse shrugged. “Let’s check the bathroom, then. He’s bound to make a mistake in covering his tracks one of these days.” </p><p>“Forensics is almost done in there, wait a second. Won’t do them much good, though. This guy hasn't left a single hair.”</p><p>“A fucking <em> ghost.” </em> Corpse muttered underneath his breath frustratedly before taking another sip of his coffee. “Ah, here’s forensics now.” He straightened his back, looking to one of the scientists, “Got anything?” </p><p>“A few hairs, but they likely belong to Mr. Kean given that they’re blond. Good luck to you, detective.”</p><p>“Thanks,” he replied, but wilted once the scientist was out of sight. “No surprise there.” </p><p>Toast grabbed him by the arm and led him into the bathroom. “C’mon.”</p><p>Once they arrived in the bathroom, Corpse checked everything meticulously. “He probably flushed any possible evidence left down the toilet. It’s long gone by now.” He paused, a semi-familiar smell catching his nose. “What is that smell?” He murmured.</p><p>“It’s soap, Corpse. Ever heard of it?” Toast snarked jokingly. </p><p>“Yeah, but is it the kind that our vic uses, or the kind our perp uses?” Corpse asked, opening each of the soaps the victim used and smelling (<em>big mistake,</em> they all smelled like AXE body spray). </p><p>Toast squinted at him confusedly. “You good, Corpsey?”</p><p>“Great.” He coughed at the leftover smell of AXE. “What does this even smell like? I can’t place it.”</p><p>“I worry for you sometimes, dude.” Toast muttered, shaking his head. “It kinda smells like cucumbers. If I’m with anyone that smells like that, I’ll be sure to let you know.”</p><p>Corpse shrugged. “Any information is good information. And hey–you never know, I guess.” He yawned, and suddenly felt embarrassed because <em> okay, maybe sniffing fucking soap is weird, but it helped with their lead, and that smell was familiar. </em></p><p>“Go home, Corpse. I’ll finish up here. You seem tired as hell, and I don’t think the coffee is helping.” Toast chided him, and Corpse tried to muster a glare but failed.</p><p>Sighing, Corpse gave in. “Fine, but text me any updates, okay?” He said as they walked to the exit. He took one more glance before leaving, “...You’re a great secondary, Toast. Thank you.”</p><p>Toast smiled. “No problem, dude. Please go home and sleep. Show up on time to work tomorrow and I’ll fill you in, no worries.”</p><p>“Alright. Take care, man.” </p><p>When Corpse got home, he didn’t even bother to shower before collapsing into bed.</p><p>***</p><p>The next few days went along without issue, sorting through alibis and possible suspects. Corpse was living off of caffeine and cheap boba tea. He tried to wear a bit of concealer to cover up his eyebags, but makeup could only do so much.</p><p>“Corpse, when was the last time you got a full eight hours?” Rae asked from her desk, peering over her computer to look him in the eye.</p><p>Corpse took a second to reply, typing something out before replying, “Friday.”</p><p>“Today <em> is </em> Friday...” Rae murmured, furrowing her brow.</p><p><em> “Exactly.” </em>Corpse replied wryly and winced as his voice cracked painfully. He took another sip of his boba and scrolled through the database again as Rae processed his response.</p><p>It took her a good ten seconds before she exclaimed, “CORPSE!” <em> Ah… so loud. Now the entire bullpen is going to hear her chewing me out. </em> “How many hours did you sleep last night?!”</p><p>“Four?” Corpse replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Look, it isn’t that big of a deal–”</p><p>“Yes it is! As your superior, I’m ordering to go home and rest. Work ends in an hour, anyways. And no overtime.”</p><p>Corpse blinked at her. “...You aren’t my superior. We’re both detectives.”</p><p>“Maybe, yeah,” Rae admitted, <em> “But </em> I’ve been on the force longer than you and have informally adopted you as my little brother–”</p><p>“I never agreed to that.” He interrupted.</p><p>“–<em> so </em> I get to tell you to go home.” She finished, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.</p><p>Felix then walked over, and Corpse <em> really </em> just wanted to get back to work. “What’s going on here?” The blond asked.</p><p>“Rae is harassing me.” Corpse replied without missing a beat, and Felix turned to Rae expectantly.</p><p>“Detective Hofstetter, is this true?” He asked, raising a brow.</p><p>Rae flustered, speaking loudly as she defended herself. “Corpse hasn’t slept well in a week! He always gets himself into this dumb ass state of mind that he can’t properly rest until he finishes the case and becomes completely self-destructive and I won’t stand for it.” She glared at Corpse, and he stuck his tongue out at her childishly.</p><p>“Detectives, please.” Felix groaned, massaging his temples as he watched the exchange. “You are two fully grown adults with developed brains. Act like it.” He snapped, and the two stilled. “Corpse, go home and rest. No overtime until you look like a composed human being. Take care of yourself this weekend, Christ.” The older scolded, and Corpse frowned.</p><p>“And Rae,” at least she had the sense to look a <em> little </em> embarrassed, “You started a scene in the middle of the bullpen when you could have just told him off quietly or came to me. We’re detectives, for the love of God, not kindergarteners. Get back to work.” He chided before turning back to his office.</p><p>Rae turned to Corpse, a little pale. “I always forget how scary the Cap is when he’s actually pissed.” She remarked, and Corpse nodded. She stretched, “Now, go home dude. Text me if you wanna talk.”</p><p>“Bye, Rae. You suck sometimes.” He said as he swung his bag over his shoulder. “Thanks.”</p><p>“Love you too!” She called after him cheekily as he got onto the elevator. He rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight back the fond smile that hid behind his mask.</p><p>***</p><p>The street lights outside of <em> The Comfy Café </em> flickered a little as the sun began to set and they began to turn on. Corpse stood outside of the café as he debated to go in or not. On one hand, he hadn’t eaten anything other than tapioca pearls and cold pizza for four days. On the other, he’d have to interact with <em> people.</em> On a third hand <em> (there were three hands now?), </em> Corpse would see his friendly new neighbor. After weighing the pros and cons for a solid five minutes, Corpse walked in, jumping subtly at the little bell that chimed as he opened the door. </p><p>It was empty in contrast to the first time he came in, only Sykkuno there working the cash register and preparing food for any incoming customers. The older man seemed to be busy, so Corpse just started amicably, “Not very busy today, huh?”</p><p>Sykkuno jerked a little in shock before looking at him with surprise. “Corpse! Hi.” He scratched the back of his neck, “And no, not really. It’s okay, though. I had a busy morning. Lots of customers.”</p><p>“Are you the only person that works here?” Corpse asked, notiving no other employees were nearby. </p><p>Shaking his head, Sykkuno responded, “No, but I always cover the last shift and both of my employees for today wanted to take Friday night off, so I let them. We aren’t too busy at night, anyways.” </p><p>“That’s very nice of you,” Corpse acknowledged. </p><p>Sykkuno covered his smile with his hand. “Thank you, but it’s nothing, really. Anyways, what would you like to order?”</p><p>Corpse eyeballed the menu, but could barely make out the words he was so tired. “Uh… what do you suggest?” He elected to say.</p><p>“Hmm…” his neighbor turned around and looked at the menu, leaning his back against the counter. Corpse looked at his back, surprised to see lean muscle through the tight t-shirt Sykkuno was wearing. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he realized he was staring and he quickly averted his gaze to the floor until Sykkuno came up with something. “How about a quiche? I know it’s more of a brunch food, but I can make a really good ham, cheese, and spinach one.”</p><p>“That sounds great,” Corpse inclined his head thankfully. “How much?”</p><p>Sykkuno tutted him. “None of that! You-you’re my neighbor, and a friend. It’s on the house.”</p><p>“That’s not a very sound business model, just giving free food to anyone you befriend.” Corpse chuckled to hide how flustered he was.</p><p>Laughing, Sykkuno replied, “No worries, you’re really one of the only friends I’ve made on this side of town. I’ll be fine.” He turned to begin making the quiche. It was an open-kitchen café, so Corpse got to see the way Sykkuno cooked. “Besides,” the shorter male said, “You aren’t just <em> anyone, </em> Corpse. Don’t sell yourself short.”</p><p>Corpse made the executive decision to <em> not </em> read into that, because that was a whole other can of worms that he’d be swallowing, and he had enough on his plate already. “Thank you, Sykkuno. You’re a great friend.”</p><p>Sykkuno beamed for a second before apparently realizing he was doing so and covering it with his hand, looking away. “You too, Corpse…” he seemed to consider something for a little before continuing. “Say, it’ll take a good half hour to cook and closing time is in 15 minutes. Do you mind if we just head back to my place and I make it for you there? We can watch some anime while it cooks, then.” He suggested.</p><p>The younger barely needed to consider before agreeing. <em> I’d rather I be closer to home. I did say I’d watch an anime with him, anyways. </em> “Okay.”</p><p>“Great! Give me a second to get my apron off and we can head out. I hope it doesn’t rain again–I only brought one umbrella.” Sykkuno joked and Corpse chuckled.</p><p>It rained again. Sykkuno’s umbrella didn’t even end up working, so they just ran home in the rain once more.</p><p>***</p><p>Corpse huffed a breath as Sykkuno opened the door for him, gesturing him inside. Bimbus barked at him happily as he walked in, so he leaned down and scratched behind the poodle’s ears. “Thanks again for this,” Corpse said as he looked back to Sykkuno once he was standing again. “All I’ve had to eat recently is cold pizza.”</p><p>Sykkuno looked at him like he’d just confessed to <em> murder </em> or something. “That’s horrible!” He scolded. “Please take better care of yourself.” Corpse didn’t know how to reply to that, so he just didn’t respond.</p><p><em> Wait, if I don’t respond then he might think I’m just ignoring him. I need to say something. </em> “Great.” <em> THAT MAKES NO SENSE AS A RESPONSE! </em></p><p>The older male didn’t seem to mind, though, and walked to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. “I’ll make us both some quiche, actually. You can have the leftovers, too.”</p><p>“You really are too nice, Sykkuno.” Corpse spoke quietly as he was ushered to the balcony to gather some mint for mojitos. </p><p>“Corpse, I’m just a friend. That’s what friends do, silly.” Sykkuno said as he tossed Bingus a dog treat before washing his hands. When Corpse returned, he continued to instruct him. “Just rinse the mint and set it on the counter–yeah, right there. Could you grab the pestle and mortar? It’s with the glasses–”</p><p>Soon enough, Corpse was sent to the living room to look through Sykkuno’s Ghibli DVD collection. “What’s Grave of the Fireflies about?” He called into the kitchen.</p><p>Sykkuno replied, his voice echoing through the apartment. “It’s set in wartime! Super good, but super sad. Only pick it if you’re down to cry in front of me.” <em> Well, I’ve already eaten in front of him, </em> Corpse thought before setting the DVD case on the couch for Sykkuno to set up. <em> I don’t want to break his TV by setting up the movie wrong. </em></p><p>With that sorted out, Corpse headed back to the kitchen and leaned against the counter (he was, however, a good enough distance from Sykkuno so as to not interfere with his process). “Did you pick a movie out?” The cook asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I chose the sad one.” Corpse shrugged. <em> Can’t be too sad, anyways. Ghibli films are normally more magical than depressing. </em> “How’s the quiche going?” He inquired.</p><p>“I’m about to put it into the oven, actually! We can start up the movie, but we’ll need to pause it about 40 minutes in to get the quiche out. I’ll set a timer.” Sykkuno answered before doing just that. The two then headed to the couch, drinks in hand. </p><p>Corpse sat down and watched his neighbor set up the movie. “You’re left handed?” He noted after staring for a good minute.</p><p>Sykkuno turned and walked over to him as the menu screen came up on the television. “Yeah, what of it? Also, do you want sub or dub?” He asked.</p><p>“Oh, nothing. Just wondering. And subtitles, please.” Corpse shook his head, clearing himself of any paranoia.</p><p>His friend noticed, however, and furrowed his brows, concerned. “You okay, Corpse?”</p><p>“Yeah, just thinking about work. Shit’s stressful.” He replied, and <em> technically </em> wasn’t lying.</p><p>Sykkuno seemed to accept that, easing into the conversation as he sat down beside him, grabbing a blanket and tossing it to him. “Do you want to talk about it? Come to think of it, what <em> is </em>your job?” </p><p>“I’m a detective, actually.” Corpse explained. “I can’t talk too much about the case I’m working, but it’s really difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard of the really bad murders recently? I think a couple were on the news…”</p><p>He looked to Sykkuno, who was wide eyed and stiff for a second before leaning back and acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. <em> Weird. Whatever, he’s probably just surprised I don’t work as a cashier for Whole Foods or something. </em> “So you’re investigating that?” He said.</p><p>“Yeah,” Corpse replied before turning his attention to the screen. Sykkuno muttered a small, high-pitched c<em> ool </em>under his breath, which made Corpse smile a little underneath his mask. His neighbor was very sweet.</p><p>A good 40 minutes into the movie–almost halfway through–the timer on the oven beeps and Sykkuno pauses the movie to take out the quiche and let it cool. He glanced over to Corpse’s glass, which was now empty. “Do you want a refill?” He asked.</p><p>Corpse contemplated his answer. <em> It could make my GERD act up, but I was told to relax… and he makes a killer mojito. </em> “Sure. Go for it.” Sykkuno smiled in return before heading to the kitchen. <em> Cute, </em> Corpse thought to himself as he watched the man trail away. He was just barely tipsy for the time being, so one more drink wouldn’t hurt him. He wasn’t a lightweight by any means, but couldn’t handle too much alcohol due to never really building a tolerance. </p><p>Soon enough, the quiche has cooled and been served and the two are back on the couch with drinks in hand and plates on their laps. Corpse had <em> maybe </em> overestimated his alcohol tolerance a little bit, and was a <em> bit </em> more on the drunk side than he had anticipated. Sykkuno sheepishly let it slip that he puts extra alcohol in all of his cocktails, to Corpse’s chagrin. “This is a really good quiche, Syk. You’re an amazing cook.” He complimented as he curled up into the side of the couch, pulling his mask fully off and taking another bite.</p><p>Sykkuno was significantly less drunk, but still somewhat tipsy. “Thanks, Corpse!” He chirped, and received a distracted hum in reply as the taller of the two turned his attention back to the movie. They were approaching the end before they knew it, and Corpse began to feel a burning itch in his nose as his eyes began to water up.</p><p>He sniffled as the final song began to play, surprised at himself for his blatant display of emotion. <em> Fuck, I’m a messy bitch when I’m intoxicated. </em> Hot tears began to slowly roll down his cheeks at the ending scene. “Fuck.” He cursed hoarsely as he wiped the tears away with his hand.</p><p>There was a shifting of blankets and couch fabric as Sykkuno turned to him. “Corpse? Oh-oh my god, I didn’t think you’d actually cry. Are you okay?”</p><p>“It’s so sad…” the crying man paused to sniffle. His eyeliner bled a little bit. “And when you think of it, that stuff really did happen all the time. How many unmarked graves and forgotten stories are really out there?” He wondered aloud.  </p><p>Sykkuno nodded sagely. “It is sad, I warned you.” He chided before softening. “Do you want a hug? I know you aren’t all that into touching and stuff, but–”</p><p>“A hug sounds nice.” Corpse cut him off quietly, hugging himself under the blanket. Sykkuno paused for a second to readjust.</p><p>“Okay,” he said once he was closer to Corpse, underneath the same blanket, “Let me just…” he wrapped his arms around the younger male comfortingly, pulling Corpse against him. “This good?”</p><p>Corpse leaned into the embrace, shamelessly shoving his face into Sykkuno’s shoulder to hide his red cheeks. “Yeah.” He mumbled softly. “Sorry if this is weird, I just haven’t watched a movie like that in a while. My friend always makes me watch sad chick flicks with her but I keep shrugging her off. I needed this.” He rambles, filter decimated due to alcohol intake.</p><p>“This is fine,” Sykkuno reassured him. “I’m enjoying myself.” </p><p>“Me too,” Corpse admitted, refusing to move his head from Sykkuno’s shoulder. His limbs felt like lead. <em> This is a comfy ass couch. </em>“Thanks.” All he got was a hum in response, and Corpse felt the reverberations in the older man’s chest as he was pressed against it.</p><p>The closing track of the movie began to play as the ending credits rolled; a soft violin track with the lines of the main characters playing throughout. Unintentionally, Corpse began to close his eyes. Blearily, he thought, <em> he smells like cucumbers.</em> Before he could stop himself, however, he was already asleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>there’s chapter five for yall lovelies! i hope you enjoyed :3 apologies if you dislike this take on corpse but i feel like he’s more of a softie than people think, yknow? people have layers,,,,, anywho! although i’m really just winging this fic, i am thoroughly enjoying myself and im loving interacting with you all! i respond to every comment &lt;3</p><p>fun fact: sykkuno is, in fact, left handed! fit very well with my story. i was very happy at the convenience! also, ive never written the word 'cucumber' so many times before in my life.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Corpse actually, maybe, perhaps, has a good weekend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope that you all enjoy the chapter! i’ve been all over the place lately so apologies if things are a bit scattered. take care! most of it was written while i was on like,,,, less than two hours of sleep and barely edited so apologies for any mistakes!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Corpse awoke with the fierce need to take a piss. His throat burned and his head was fuzzy and his entire body ached. He blinked the sleep out of his eye and began to shift around, immediately freaking out once he realized </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is not my bed. This is not my house. Whose arm is around me?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He kept quiet, but tried to shift again. His face was pressed against someone’s che–</span>
  <em>
    <span>ohhhh no. That’s embarrassing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno yawned, letting go. “Oh. Sorry, Corpse. I tend to hug when I’m asleep. You–are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yeah.” Corpse replied. “I, uh, really need to pee, though. And take my meds.” He spoke, wincing at the way his voice grated his throat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Am I even intelligible right now?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, he was, and Sykkuno scrambled to release him. “The uh… the bathroom is to the left. Take as long as you need. Is there anything you’d like for breakfast?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse shook his head, “You don’t need to do that.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I just want to pee and then collapse into bed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I insist. It isn’t a proper sleepover if you don’t eat breakfast there the morning after!” Sykkuno joked before quickly following up with, “If you want to go home, though, that’s completely alright and I understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, uh… this was great, but I think I’m ready to go back to my apartment, sorry.” Corpse winced. “Sorry if that sounded harsh, I’m just feeling relatively shitty and uh… yeah. This was nice, though.” He smiled a bit, grabbing his mask and pocketing it. “I’ll just pee at mine. Thanks for letting me crash here, and the movie, and the dinner, and–” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno paused, and Corpse could almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span> the little lightbulb that went off above his head. Speaking of his head, his messy hair was admittedly </span>
  <em>
    <span>very cute.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse shook that thought off, however, as Sykkuno chimed in. “Oh! I almost forgot to give you the leftover quiche. Keep it for yourself or share with friends, but you need to stop living off of cold pizza.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Corpse cleared his throat. “I think it fucked with my GERD a little, so I’m probably going to share with friends, but it was really good.” He shot Sykkuno another shy smile as he accepted the quiche (there was still a </span>
  <em>
    <span>hefty</span>
  </em>
  <span> amount left, too, so he had that to worry about as well).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His neighbor smiled, “Yeah, no problem! I’d love to do this again sometime, if you wouldn’t mind.” He suggested softly, opening his door for Corpse. Bimbus sped to his ankles and Corpse said goodbye to him as well (and provided a couple scratches behind the ear. Bimbus was pleased).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds nice.” Corpse affirmed, nodding a bit as he waved and the door shut. As soon as it did, he made his way into his own apartment, groaning as his fibromyalgia acted up and pain flared across his body. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I hate life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He quickly downed his meds, eating an apple for breakfast and putting the quiche leftover in the fridge before collapsing into bed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, I’m not getting anything done today,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse sighed dramatically into his covers. His phone rang from his pocket, and he plugged it in before picking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Corpse!” Rae’s voice echoed through his bedroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up, Rae?” he asked as he curled into a ball on top of the sheets. “Do you need sumn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, just checking in to see if you’re alright–and you don’t sound like it. What was the point in sending you home if you didn’t even rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I rested!” Corpse snapped back, “Sorry, my nerves are flaring up and all that. I actually slept for like…” he blinked, drowsily doing the basic addition in his head, “...nine hours, actually. Huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae gave a disbelieving sound. “That’s new! How? The only time you sleep like that is when you’ve drank…” she gasped, “Corpse, did you get drunk?” She seemed almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>offended.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Without me?!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, there it is.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse almost rolled his eyes, but stopped midway because it hurt his head to do so. “It’s not like I was planning on going out, I just ended up hanging out with my neighbor. He made dinner–there are leftovers, by the way, if you want any–and we watched a sad ghibli film while drinking a little.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like a date!” Rae cried, and Corpse turned his cell phone volume down in response. “Also what kind of leftovers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chuffing out a laugh, the younger shook his head. “It isn’t like that, Rae, seriously. We’re just friends.” He shifted a little and an aching pain shot through his back. “And the leftovers are quiche. Ham and spinach and cheese.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yum,” she noted briefly. “Well, is your neighbor handsome?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse was taken aback by the question, but was even more taken aback by the fact that his immediate thought was </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes, very much so.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Uh… I guess?” He played it cool, but immediately failed as he began to ramble “He isn’t bad looking at all or anything. And I mean, he seems pretty fit and has a nice voice. Pretty fast, too, now that I think of it. I mean, it’s not like he’s a very muscular person. That isn’t to say he doesn’t have muscle, though–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Corpse.” Rae interrupted him, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh no. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He could hear the smile in his friend’s voice as she teased him. “I think </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> has a crush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scoffing, the accused retorted “Shut up with that BS, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rachel.</span>
  </em>
  <span> This isn’t grade school and I don’t have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crush.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what they say,” she lilted, “the da Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s dumb, Rae.” He frowned. “I’m going to go on twitter for another twelve hours, bye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye–oh, wait, Corpse! Hold on, I need to ask you something.” Rae shrieked before he hit the </span>
  <em>
    <span>end call</span>
  </em>
  <span> button. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His self-proclaimed sister hummed smugly, “So… if you’re feeling up to it… would you like to hang out tomorrow afternoon? A few of us are going to hang out at the beach for a bit because it’s supposed to be in the seventies. We aren’t going in the water–well, I’m not–but we will be hanging out and talking and all that, so if you wanna…” she trailed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse tensed, but immediately winced at another aching pain. “If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll come,” he said, “I’ll bring the quiche, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae made another happy noise. “Great!” She called, and Corpse could </span>
  <em>
    <span>hear</span>
  </em>
  <span> the cheeky grin in her voice. “I’ll see you then, byeeee!” She hung up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” he echoed hoarsely into the emptiness of his bedroom before shutting his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His sleep over the next twenty hours was scattered. He got up like 6 times to pee and spent a good 10 of said hours in limbo (y’know, the place between being asleep and awake where everything feels like shit? Yeah, that). A couple more hours were dedicated to, as promised, scrolling through twitter. Only about 6 hours were accumulated in the end, but his body still appreciated the rest and he wasn’t in terrible pain anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which, unfortunately for Corpse, meant that he was going to hang out with his friends. The weather was, unsurprisingly, nice and not rainy (a pity, actually. California really </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> need more rain, come to think of it) so Corpse wore a pair of distressed jeans with a stained white tee and his jacket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smudged his eyeliner a little when applying it, but decided that it looked fine anyways so slipped his mask on. The quiche was warmed up in the microwave and packaged into a Tupperware so that Corpse could bring it with him on the train ride to the beach. The train was busy, which was unsurprising for a Sunday afternoon. A couple kids were swinging on the metal pole in the middle of the train, which was equally entertaining and obnoxious (it grew to be more obnoxious than entertaining, however, when one of the children tripped and began to sob loudly. Corpse immediately gained a headache at the display).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk to the beach, however, once he got off of the train was oddly serene. His throat felt a lot better and his body was no longer hindering him as badly, so he took his time. Holding the quiche in one hand, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked his texts.</span>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>cRAEzy: get ur butt over here loverboy</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>cRAEzy: jack has buried toast in sand uve gotta hurry it’s getting everywhere! and i mean EVERYWHERE!!!1!</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>cRAEzy: [f_for_toast.img]</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>crops: im coming omg holdup</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>crops: and dont call me loverboy</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>A good five minutes of walking later and Corpse was walking off the boardwalk and towards his friends. It was late fall, so now was the best time to go to the beach before the tourists flooded in for holiday vacation. Toast was still buried under the sand, and appeared to be reaching nirvana or something like that, if Corpse had to guess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with him?” He asked Rae, who had set her towel up and was sitting on the buried sergeant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged, “He gave up on the struggle to escape a little bit ago and has accepted his fate as one with the sandcrabs or whatever.” She explained, shooting said man a confused glance. “Just go with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse nodded, “Okay, I guess. Not too out of the ordinary for Toast, I guess.” He raised the quiche in the air, “I brought food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he mentioned food, Rae screeched as Toast suddenly shot up out of the sand, knocking her off balance. “What kind of food?” He asked, wiping sand off his chest and approaching the taller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quiche.” Corpse replied, pausing and looking Toast over. He was covered neck-down in sand, bare chested and only in swimming trunks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, that’s what Rae meant by everywhere. Rest in peace.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I brought plastic forks, I don’t have any plates though...” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, slipped my mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I brought paper plates just in case!” Rae added as she reached into her bag and pulled them out proudly, raising them above her head and grinning like she won a prize. Corpse thanked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t eaten since last night, gimme here.” Jack beckoned Corpse to hand him the Tupperware, which Corpse passed over carefully. “Don’t let it fall into the sand, it’s actually good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The quiche was passed around and everyone got a piece, sitting down on towels (except for Toast, because no one wanted his sandy ass on a towel) and digging in. The waves crashed softly before them and the fall sky began to darken. “What time is it?” Corpse asked suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s like 6, dude. You came </span>
  <em>
    <span>late.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poki informed him as she chewed on a piece of quiche. “Nice to see you, though. This is really good, by the way. Where’d you get it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh, cool, you too, uh–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rae cut in with a smug, “His BOYFRIEND!” To which everyone stared at Corpse afterwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse glared at Rae. “He isn’t my </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Rae is just being </span>
  <em>
    <span>annoying,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He gritted out as a warning. “My neighbor made it for me, he runs a café downtown.” He explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not being </span>
  <em>
    <span>annoying,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m being…” the accused paused to think, “...okay, maybe I’m being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> annoying, but you guys have had like three dinner dates at this point.” She crossed her arms in haughty defense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poki made a thoughtful noise, tapping her chin with her hand. “I don’t know, Rae.” She turned to Corpse, “What did you guys do on these dates?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse scrambled to respond, setting his quiche down on his lap (he hadn’t had any either way. He was keeping his mask </span>
  <em>
    <span>on,</span>
  </em>
  <span> thank you very much). “I–the first time wasn’t even a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I ate at his café but then we had to run home in the rain so the food got ruined and he made me some for the next day–” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is </span>
  <em>
    <span>super</span>
  </em>
  <span> domestic.” Rae interrupted, earning a shush from Jack, Toast, and Poki (what is this? A middle school sleepover?).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And then that one time I ate at his place and we had some dinner and talked, but that was just friendly.” He continued, “Then there was Friday night where we ate and drank and watched a movie, but that’s just because we both like anime and he wanted to hang out and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>kind of</span>
  </em>
  <span> got white girl drunk and cried while hugging him before passing out but we all do that!” He ranted, looking around. “We </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> do that, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Jack said, “No.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Corpse muttered before looking down at his quiche quizzically. “Huh. I guess he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> flirting with me, then.” His mind shot back to the time he was called cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast peered at him. “It astounds me how you can be such a good detective and yet still </span>
  <em>
    <span>so, so </span>
  </em>
  <span>stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, rude.” Corpse retorted. “And </span>
  <em>
    <span>look,</span>
  </em>
  <span> we’ve literally just been friendly towards one another, that’s all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you do that with </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> your neighbors?” Poki asked teasingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, no,” the flustered man admitted before putting his head in his hands, “Fuuuccckkkkk.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack patted him on the back comfortingly. “It’s alright, buddy. I, uh, can’t exactly say that I’ve been there but uh, there there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Jack.” Corpse deadpanned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast drew closer, still sandy. “Are you gonna finish your quiche?” He asked, getting a light smack on the head by Poki. “Hey!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not the time, Toast. Our friend is having a crisis.” Poki scolded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, yeah, but he isn’t eating his quiche.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, he can have it.” Corpse sighed and handed Toast the plate, getting a rushed </span>
  <em>
    <span>thanks</span>
  </em>
  <span> in reply. “This is so </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Rae shot him a look. “How so? It’s not like you’ve never dated, before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah,” Corpse peeked out from his hands, “But I just feel so </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird</span>
  </em>
  <span> around him. Like, it’s such a strange feeling. I don’t know how to explain it. Like… I’m comfortable but on edge at the same time. It’s almost like when I’m sitting in the interrogation room with a perp, or something.” He explained jokingly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The feeling isn’t too far off, though.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Poki shrugged. “Kinda just sounds like you have a crush, honestly.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse looked around to each of his friends, and they nodded to agree with Poki’s conclusion. “Oh,” he echoed, “a crush.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>here we are!!! showered for the first time since wednesday so!! things are looking up for me, haha! i appreciate all the concern in the comments, btw. it warms my heart &lt;3 i hope you enjoyed and see you tmrw!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A busy week for Sykkuno.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tried a different formatting for this chapter to fit the mood better, i hope it doesn’t throw any of you off! i normally write things pretty fluidly, but I was fitting a whole 5 days into this chapter, so i had to improvise, haha! nevertheless, i hope you like it!</p>
<p>also! im posting this using my phone so apologies for any wonky formatting</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>MONDAY</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The chatter in the bar filled Sykkuno’s ears as he sipped on the water in his hand. A cucumber slice was wedged on the side of the glass, which Sykkuno appreciated (they make the water seem super fresh, okay?!). He was in a new bar for the LGBT+, drinking in the blindspot of the camera with his mask pulled down and his beanie on, shooting a small smile to any especially social patrons.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bars were almost always the best place to scope out victims. Normally, they’d just come to him, which made his work all that much easier. He was a guy–not a bad looking one, either–drinking alone in a bar. Plenty were looking for a one-night-stand, and he was a great option for anyone drunk enough to not second guess his actions or appearance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For tonight, however, he was just watching. There were a few lonely men at the counter but his mind was straying, for once. He had his focus elsewhere. On a certain individual, too. “Corpse.” He whispered into his glass with a small smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What a sweet guy.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno was still very torn over Corpse, especially given the more </span>
  <em>
    <span>recent</span>
  </em>
  <span> revelations. On one hand, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> cute and funny and… Sykkuno suddenly wished his glass was filled with vodka in the stead of water, because the man was </span>
  <em>
    <span>the same god damned detective that was investigating him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cursing his cards dealt, he leaned back in his chair and thought back to Friday night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sykkuno heard teary breathing slowly even out on his chest, looking down and finding Corpse asleep. His expression turned fond for a second before calculating. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Okay, my neighbor is investigating me, and could possibly be on to me. This is bad (e</span>
  <em>
    <span>specially because he had certain </span>
  </em>
  <span>feelings</span>
  <em>
    <span> for said neighbor, but either way; very bad).</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The ending tune of the movie faded out, and Sykkuno leaned over to turn the television off before looking back down to the head of his neighbor. He inhaled sharply, realizing that </span>
  </em>
  <span>oh, he smells like grapefruit.</span>
  <em>
    <span> He took one hand up to the sleeping man’s hair and touched it gently. It was soft, he noticed as he played with it between his fingers. Suddenly, he realized what he was doing and to </span>
  </em>
  <span>who.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Making a thoughtful noise, Sykkuno removed his hand and set it back to the small of Corpse’s back, placing his head lightly on his neighbor’s hair instead.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This is nice,</span>
  <em>
    <span> he thought to himself as he weighed his options. There was the rational thought to distance himself from Corpse and avoid getting caught, but the more daring and reckless part of himself wanted to push on and see what happened. Don’t get him wrong–it wasn’t as though he </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted</span>
  <em>
    <span> to get caught and charged for five counts of murder, but if anyone were to catch him he’d rather it be Corpse. Besides, he really did want to see what would happen if he stuck it out with the younger male. </span>
  </em>
  <span>If anything goes wrong, I can just kill him,</span>
  <em>
    <span> he decided.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He is… very attractive, though. And I’ve never offered so much free food to anyone outside of family before.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Sykkuno grimaced as he rubbed circles into Corpse’s back, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’m definitely harboring… </span>
  <em>
    <span>feelings</span>
  </em>
  <span> for him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He shook his head, but he really </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want to murder the 23-year-old. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno snapped out of his head as another man approached him. He was average looking–probably about 5’6 and a brunette. “Hi.” Sykkuno smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi,” the man responded. “I’m Rick. You’re cute.” He introduced himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, well I don’t really feel like… killing right now, but I could use a distraction.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I’m Sy, nice to meet you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you uh… come here often?” Rick tried, giving an awkward smile. “Sorry, I know that was cheesy but I really have no pick up lines.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno faked a laugh. “I get it. And no, I don’t. I don’t really get out much, though, so I’m trying to meet more people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rick grinned, “Oh, you too? Yeah, I’m trying to meet new people too. I have like… three contacts in my phone right now.” He giggled sheepishly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s fine, more than me,” the taller replied. “Uh, look, it’s getting kind of late and I need to head home soon, but would you like to meet here again? Maybe like Thursday, if you’re done. At 7? We can talk to each other some more, if you’d like. Sorry, I’m just kind of tired.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah!” Rick replied enthusiastically. “Could I have your number?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno already had a lie in order. “My phone’s broken–I’m getting it fixed tomorrow. I’ll give it to you Thursday since it’s no use to you now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rick ate it up, “Sure, sure! See you then, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nodding and waving goodbye, Sykkuno put his mask back on, readjusted his beanie, and left the bar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>TUESDAY</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a busy early morning at work. Some calm acoustic music floated through the speakers in the café as people hurried about. He had a good two other employees working with him at the time–Lily and Yvonne. Even though it was only 8 am, the business in the city never stopped and so neither would he.</span>
</p>
<p>Lily was working the register as Yvonne brought the food to the customers and Sykkuno cooked; it was a good system. He was taking a tray of blueberry muffins out of the oven to sprinkle sugar on top of before serving when the bell chimed and Corpse walked in.</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno paused when he looked up–the man looked relatively healthy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought before taking Lily’s place at the register (he subtly passed her the muffins and she shot him a smug, suggestive look in return). “Corpse!” He greeted, “I’m surprised to see you here, especially so early.”</span>
</p>
<p>The detective shrugged, but his hand tapped at his leg anxiously. “I was, uh… I wanted to check the place out. See what it was like in the mornings. I don’t know how you do it, it’s almost busier than the station.”</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s even worse at brunch!” Sykkuno chirped in reply before folding his hands over each other, “What would you like to order?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corpse scratched at his chin with his hand–Sykkuno noticed how his black nail polish was chipped–“Something relatively small, actually. I kind of just wanted to stop by, but I never really know what to eat…” a blush creeped up the man’s neck, and Sykkuno covered his mouth to smile before shaking it off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s alright! We have some muffins that are fresh out of the oven–do you like blueberry?” He asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah. That sounds good. How much–” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno winked at him, “You’re a friend, it’s on the house.” He whispered conspiratorially to avoid upsetting the other customers. </span>
</p>
<p>The younger frowned and tossed a ten dollar bill in the tip jar anyways. Sykkuno thought it was cute, so decided not to comment as he handed Corpse the muffin. “Thanks,” Corpse said, “Could I–uh, have a bag, though?” </p>
<p>
  <span>Jolting, Sykkuno replied, “Oh, yeah, sure! Go ahead to the counter over there so I can head to the back and get one. Lily, can you get back to the register?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lily came rushing back, but not before leaning in and telling him teasingly, “Is he your boyfriend?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Sykkuno hissed in response, perhaps a bit too defensively. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His employee just gave him a disbelieving deadpan of a look and muttered back, “Give him your number, boss, oh my God.” She then upped her volume to say, “Okay, bags are in the back!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno rolled his eyes at her antics, but a fond smile found its way onto his face as he walked to the back. The bags were paper–plastic bags may be a bit cheaper, but they were worse environmentally, and Sykkuno wasn’t an ass–and varied in size. He chose a small one, just the right size for a muffin, and scribbled his number onto it in Sharpie. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Am I really doing this?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He wondered as he walked to the counter where Corpse was waiting. The man was obviously a bit nervous to be in such a busy and unfamiliar space, but was holding it together by tapping his foot to the floor rapidly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I guess I am,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he figured, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>boy is he cute</span>
  </em>
  <span> and handed Corpse the bag. Corpse ogled the number for a second, a little shocked before bagging the muffin and shooting Sykkuno a flustered wave and a </span>
  <em>
    <span>thanks, have a nice day.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eye, Sykkuno spotted Lily grin. He laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>WEDNESDAY</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno was on break when he received a message. He was doodling leaves on his arm with a Sharpie when his phone had vibrated on the table. He reached over to pick it up and check who had texted him, only to see it being a random number.</span>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>Unknown Number: hey</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Unknown Number: this is corpse</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Sykkuno froze for a second, a smile settling on his face as he quickly responded. </span>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Hi Corpse! Glad you texted me :)</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: yeah me too :) sorry for not doing so yesterday it was really hectic</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: You’re all good! How are you?</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: i’m doing okay</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: kind of tired and sore but its ok</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: the muffin was really good btw</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Glad you liked it!</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>He took a second to think before typing out his next message.</span>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Speaking of which, would you like to come over tonight? We can meet at the café and I can make some Pho at my place.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: that sounds nice</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Great! When are you off work?</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: i’m off at five. i can get to the cafe at like 5:10</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Okay! I can have someone else close up for the night, see you then :)</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: see you</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Sykkuno sighed and clenched his fists a little. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Here I am, spending time with the lead detective of my own damn case when half my mind is on murder.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He scribbled another leaf onto his arm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Whatever, I’m going to be killing… Rick–was it?–tomorrow so I’ll manage.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Capping the Sharpie, he pulled his apron back and got back to work.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corpse entered the shop a couple minutes late, but Sykkuno didn’t mind. He had a couple of teens working the final shift of the night (he trusted them well enough, they seemed like good kids–more or less) so he was free to go. “Hi, Corpse!” He greeted the taller man as he walked in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got a smile in response, which made his insides feel fuzzy for some reason. “Hi, Sykkuno. It’s good to see you again.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>And now his insides were even more fuzzy. How strange.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Should we get going?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, y–yeah!” Sykkuno confirmed, grabbing the man by the hand and leading him out. Corpse didn’t protest the gesture, so Sykkuno held on as they walked to his apartment. “So we were talking a little bit ago about me making a…” he swallowed,</span>
  <em>
    <span> why am I nervous? </span>
  </em>
  <span>“...a Vietnamese dish for you, and I don’t really have the ingredients for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bun cha,</span>
  </em>
  <span> so I figured some </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pho</span>
  </em>
  <span> would be good instead. I know it’s basic, but–”</span>
</p>
<p>“It sounds great, Sykkuno. Ev–everything you make tastes really good,” Corpse cut his rambling short, and squeezed his hand a little.</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno looked to his right to see Corpse’s profile. The man was definitely a little red-faced, looking straight ahead. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is he too embarrassed to meet my eye? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sykkuno wondered, fighting back a giggle at the thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At first glance he may be a little intimidating, but he’s one of the biggest softies I’ve ever met. It’s adorable.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Thank you, Corpse. That’s really sweet of you.” He responded, squeezing the other’s hand back gently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They continued to walk in a comfortable silence for a good five minutes or so before reaching Sykkuno’s apartment. “I already have a good amount of it done, since I was preparing it last night. Uh… it may take a few hours to cook, though, and won’t be the best I’ve ever made, but it’ll still be good.”</span>
</p>
<p>Corpse hummed noncommittally, “It’s all good. I have time,” he reassured before looking at Sykkuno’s arms and narrowing his eyes. “You draw?”</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno scrambled for an adequate response. “Oh, y–yeah, sometimes. I’m not the best at it, but it is a bit of a hobby of mine. I mainly do realism, though.” He said, and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>technically</span>
  </em>
  <span> was true. He hadn’t actually done an honest-to-goodness piece in a bit, but he really enjoyed sketching out faces and the human body. He had begun to do so less frequently since human bodies slowly </span>
  <em>
    <span>became</span>
  </em>
  <span> his canvas, but the older man still dabbled in it from time to time. “Would… would you like to see some of my sketches? I can show them to you while we wait for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pho</span>
  </em>
  <span> to cook.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Corpse seemed to take the explanation with a grain of salt, but didn’t further his questioning. “That’s cool,” he complimented, sitting down on the couch in Sykkuno’s living room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad you think so. Now, just wait right here as I get dinner cooking. You can pick out a couple movies for us to watch, too. Pho takes a while, sorry.” He apologized.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corpse shook his head. “It’s fine, no worries.” He encouraged, “I like spending time with you, anyways.” And boy, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t make Sykkuno’s heart stutter a little. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pho</span>
  </em>
  <span> ended up being pretty damn good despite being rushed, and he and Corpse had watched both </span>
  <em>
    <span>V for Vendetta</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Garden State</span>
  </em>
  <span> (the second of which Corpse had cried at. Sykkuno didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> understand how, but to each their own). Then Sykkuno shared some of his sketches. Corpse had complimented his art–which made Sykkuno fluster a little–and his cooking before leaving him. Before he left, however, he had smiled at Sykkuno, and the killer had stared at those chapped, full lips until it was almost awkward. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I want to kiss him,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he realized, but Corpse was already out the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>THURSDAY</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno’s nerves were buzzing in anticipation as he waited for Rick to enter the bar. It was late, and the sun had already set. Sykkuno was nursing a saratoga cocktail as he sat in the blindspot of the bar’s cameras. He smiled and waved as his victim entered, beckoning him over and offering him a raspberry mojito (it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> good, and Rick would probably forget he was drinking alcohol until he was three glasses in). “Hi!” Sykkuno greeted with artificial cheer.</span>
</p>
<p>“Hi Sy!” Rick replied, sipping generously at his drink, “How have you been?” And that was how it started.</p>
<p>
  <span>It took a good hour or so of buttering Rick up before the man was intoxicated enough to be taken home. “C’mon, Ricky,” Sykkuno tugged the man along, faking drunkenness. “Take me </span>
  <em>
    <span>homeeee.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He whined.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rick chuckled, as though </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> was in charge, and led him to his apartment. Sykkuno was already clad in mask and beanie with his bag slung over his shoulder as he was brought along. He smirked behind his mask as the door clicked behind him. “So, Ricky,” he chimed, “could you strip and get on your bed? Close your eyes and let me know when you’re done, I have a surprise for you.” Rick’s eyes sparkled in lust, and he obliged without comment, shutting his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sykkuno went through his routine before straddling Rick and pressing the knife to his throat. He leaned down to the man’s ear and whispered, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You can open your eyes now” </span>
  </em>
  <span>before slitting his throat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let the blood gargle this time around, flowing out of the neck and onto the baby blue sheets. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Beautiful contrast,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he acknowledged before pondering what to draw this time around. Of course, there was really only one thing on his mind. It would be by memory, so probably wouldn’t look too accurate, but he didn’t care. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Practice makes perfect,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he repeated to himself as he drew his neighbor’s face on the victim’s chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The murderer pouted thoughtfully as he looked over the finished product. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Messy,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he chided himself,</span>
  <em>
    <span> very messy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The eyes were a little bit </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> round and he had gotten the nose and face shape completely wrong. The only thing perfect was the lips, which Sykkuno traced over with his finger lightly. There was blood all over his boxers, and he sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>These ones are definitely going to be burnt,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he decided before shuffling out of them and setting them in his bag, pulling out a new pair and shimmying them on after wiping himself down in the bathroom with soapy paper towels. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he was fully dressed, he removed all evidence of his person from the crime scene before slipping out of the apartment and closing the door behind him. His face was covered as he waved to the security camera in the lobby as he left the building. The train wasn’t too packed, but nearly everyone was in a stage of drunkenness or high on weed, so no one spared him a second glance as he shrugged on a jacket and removed his beanie and mask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he finally reached his apartment, his phone buzzed. It was Corpse.</span>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: hey, you up?</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Sykkuno took a second to reply. </span>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Yeah, what’s wrong?</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Corpse took even longer to reply, and Sykkuno flopped on his couch as he stared at the screen impatiently.</span>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: so uh</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: i really like hanging out with you and</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: could we um</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: this is embarrassing</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: Take your time.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: could we maybe have a uh</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: a date? somewhere idk um</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: sorry its ok if you aren't up for it</span>
  </p>
  <p>Sykkuno: I’d love to go on a date with you Corpse :)</p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: great! um does santa monica sound nice? it’s gonna be busy real soon so i’d like to visit it once more before tourists pour in</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: That sounds great! I don’t visit the pier too often so it’ll be fun.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>corpse: does saturday sound good? like maybe 5 pm?</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Sykkuno: See you there! We can meet in front of Scoops if that sounds good with you?</span>
  </p>
  <p>corpse: sounds perfect :)</p>
</blockquote><p>Sykkuno’s heart jumped and he set his phone down, giddy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you all for reading! this chapter took a little bit, honestly! we approach christmas more and more each day and im very excited! anyways, all the comments and support really helped me through writing this, so thank you guys so much! i love you all dearly and cant wait to see you tomorrow :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A trainwreck of a date. Well, maybe not that much of a trainwreck...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello everyone! good day :3 christmas is in four days! but the real magic happens on christmas eve, dont you think? anyways, i was very excited to write and post this chapter, so i do hope you enjoy. also! finally decided to link  the playlist!  so i hope you like that as well. anyways, enjoy !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p><p>Corpse was buzzing with nerves. It was mid afternoon on Saturday and he hadn’t eaten anything other than a breakfast bar (which he only ate because he had to take his morning meds with food). He was sitting on his bed, repainting his nails (he had chipped them away over the past two days) when his phone rang. It was Rae. He picked it up and set it on speakerphone.</p><p>“Hi, Corpsie!” Rae called and Corpse cringed at the nickname. “You getting ready for your date?” </p><p>He chuffed out an anxious laugh, “I don’t need to leave for another two hours, Rae, chill.” </p><p>“Hey, I’m just making sure you aren’t going to back out! Your neighbor is, from what you’ve said, really cute <em> and </em> super sweet. There’s no running away,” she warned him. “Not unless you want me to kick your ass in the middle of the bullpen come Monday.” </p><p>Corpse didn’t laugh because he knew that she’d make good on her threat. “Yes, ma’am.” He said vigilantly. “Wasn’t planning on it, either way. I…” he swallowed, <em> a crush, </em> “I really like him.”</p><p>A cooing sound came from the other end. “Awww, Corpse, that’s so sweet. You’re emoting and you aren’t even drunk yet. I like this guy already, he’s a good influence on you.” </p><p>“Shut up,” Corpse scoffed, but his affection was shown through his tone. “So, what are you up to?” He asked.</p><p>Rae hummed, “Well, I’m at work still. Chilling in the breakroom, yeah, but I wanted to work more on that triple homicide that I was assigned yesterday.” She had, in fact, been assigned a triple homicide yesterday and confided in Corpse that she almost cheered in front of the Captain before quickly remembering <em> oh no, triple homicide, </em> and shutting up.</p><p>“That’s cool,” Corpse replied, “Good luck on it.” He reapplied a top coat on his right thumb before capping the polish and setting it aside.</p><p>“I think <em> you </em> need the luck more than me, and not just for your date. How’s the case going?” His friend questioned and he groaned.</p><p>Waving his hands in the air gently to dry the polish faster, he admitted, “Not as fast as I’d like it to, but we have more leads than what we started with. Still a ways to go, though.” <em> Though I may have a possible suspect, </em> he thought to himself as an image of Sykkuno popped up in his mind. Rae began to rant about… something. He zoned out.</p><p>He had mainly wanted the date to be a way to check his suspicions and see if his neighbor was <em> really </em> the kind, caring café owner that he came across as or not. However, as the hour drew nearer, the fact that he also had a <em> crush </em> on said neighbor loomed over him. It was a win-win, he decided as he sent Sykkuno a small <em> excited to see you tonight </em> text with his left hand (which had, at that point, dried off). However, the text message, instead, wrote <em> exired ti see you to ight, </em> but he figured the point would come across regardless. <em> Ah, to be right handed. </em> Anyways, the situation <em> was </em> a win-win; he could clear his mind of suspicions regarding his super-cute neighbor <em> and </em> go on a date with said man, so there really wasn’t a downside. <em> Unless he actually is the killer and decides to murder me in my bed tonight, </em> a paranoid part of himself whispered but he ignored the thought.</p><p>“Corpse?” Rae asked, cutting off his train of thought. “You there?”</p><p>“Oh, um. Yeah, what were you saying?”</p><p>Rae gave a disappointed sigh, but repeated herself anyways. “I was <em> saying </em> that you could sleep over my place this, hmm… what, we both come in late on this Tuesday? How about Monday night you sleep over and we watch <em> The Notebook </em>. I know you don’t sleep until like 4 AM most nights anyways, so why not spend it with a friend instead of scrolling Twitter like a madman?”</p><p><em> Well, she isn’t wrong, but still, ouch. </em> “That sounds fine,” Corpse replied. “Can we do pineapple pizza?” He already knew the answer.</p><p>“As if I would order anything else for us.” Rae retorted, and Corpse could <em> hear </em> her smirk. He could also hear a light <em> boom </em> in the background, however, and he frowned confusedly. “Oh, I need to go–someone just blew up a burrito in the breakroom microwave. Bye, Corpse! Good luck on your dateeee.” She rushed out before Corpse could even get a word in, hanging up immediately.</p><p>Corpse sat there stilled on his bed, a little shocked, before erupting into breathy laughter. <em> Okay, that was classic Rae. </em> He shook his head before checking the time. <em> Shit, it’s four. I had no idea we were on call that long. How much time did I spend zoned out thinking about– </em>he shook his head and stood up, opening up his drawers and closet. He shimmied on a pair on black jeans, tucking in a white graphic tee (under which he wore a mesh long sleeved shirt–it was one of his favorite articles of clothing to wear, though it wasn’t appropriate for work) and slipping a fashionable belt through the loops. </p><p>He fumbled a little doing his eyeliner, but it still looked pretty good so he decided not to mess with it. A little bit of concealer went into covering his eyebags and he wiggled jewelry onto his neck, wrists, and fingers. “Okay,” he said as he covered his face with a black mask, “Not bad.”</p><p>It took him about a half hour to get ready. He snapped a photo and sent it to Rae, getting a <em> HOT!!! </em> in response. <em> Good enough for me, </em> he decided and stepped out the door, shooting Sykkuno a quick text.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: headed out rn, u still at work?</p>
  <p>Sykkuno: Yep! I’ll see u in a half hour :)</p>
  <p>corpse: see u then :D</p>
</blockquote><p><em> Was the open smiley face too much? </em> He wondered anxiously as he boarded a bus to the pier. <em> We’ll see, I guess. </em> Corpse opened the notes app on his phone, scrolling through different midnight-ramblings and bad puns until he found his list.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>perp for murder case</p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><ul>
<li>wears beanie and mask</li>
<li>asian or white</li>
<li>5’8 to 5’11, give or take</li>
<li>left handed</li>
<li>smells like cucumbers (?)</li>
<li>possibly homophobic</li>
<li>possibly homosexual</li>
<li>weapon is a kitchen utility</li>
<li>no known marks or tattoos, but don’t rule it out</li>
<li>fuck this is exhausting</li>
<li>CORPSE YOU’RE GOING INSANE PLEASE GET SLEEP -rae</li>
<li>voice could be anything</li>
<li>visits bars</li>
<li>possibly an alcoholic</li>
<li>relatively strong/strong enough to overpower a 6’2 drunk man</li>
<li>likely insane</li>
<li>maybe my neighbor?</li>
<li>probably not my neighbor</li>
<li>hopefully not my neighbor</li>
</ul><p>He added the last two bullets nervously, tapping his knee with his pointer finger. The woman next to him shot him a flirty smile. Nodding back awkwardly in response (did… did he seriously just nod in response to a smile?), he pocketed his phone and looked out the window instead. The sun was beginning to set–the late time of year shortening the days dramatically–on the horizon, illuminating the boardwalk. The ferris wheel lights began to flicker on and the waves made a crashing noise against the sand.</p><p>It was faint from the distance Corpse was at, but it grew louder as he hopped off the bus and walked to <em> Scoops </em> , checking the time on his phone. <em> 4:56 PM, </em> he read just as a message popped up on his lockscreen. He unlocked his phone to reply.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Sykkuno: I’m here!</p>
  <p>corpse: i’m a couple mins away :)</p>
</blockquote><p>Shutting his phone off, he walked down the pier and to the ice cream parlor. He wasn’t actually in the mood for ice cream–it fucked with his GERD a good amount–but it wasn’t a terrible meeting spot. </p><p>When he arrived at <em> Scoops, </em> he looked around the entrance of the shop to find Sykkuno. “Corpse, over here!” The voice came from behind him. He pivoted, and there was Sykkuno. “Sorry,” the man said sheepishly, “I was over at the railing looking at the sunset. It’s beautiful, right?”</p><p>Corpse was busy looking at Sykkuno, however. The ravenette was clad in a dark green turtleneck over a pair or dark blue jeans. A simple look, sure, but the turtleneck <em> really </em> accented Sykkuno’s face and the jeans put emphasis on how long his legs were. “Yeah, it is.” Corpse said breathlessly, and his face went red at just how <em> cliché </em> that was. </p><p>If Sykkuno noticed, however, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just shifted on his feet. “So, uh… what would you like to do first? I don’t go here too often, so…” he trailed off.</p><p>Clearing his throat, Corpse shook himself out of his stupor to respond. “Uh, we could go to the arcade? I haven’t gone in a few years, but I think people got there a lot on, um, dates.” He ended quietly. Sykkuno beamed at him, and Corpse wondered if the sun was the thing setting behind him or the <em> smile in front of him that was so fucking bright– </em>he coughed and averted his gaze. “There’s, uh… an arcade thisaway.” </p><p>“Sounds great, Corpse!” Sykkuno smiled into his hand, and Corpse for a second made the connection between a hand covering the mouth and a <em> mask </em> covering a mouth. In fact, if he just imagined Sykkuno in a beanie and mask–“Ooh!” Sykkuno cut off his thought, “Is that it?”</p><p>It was, in fact, <em> it. </em> The arcade still looked to be pretty good, and was just as… arcade-y as Corpse remembered it to be. The floor was some cheap-looking blanket that was almost sticky to the touch and the employees looked like their souls had been sucked out of the bodies by some sort of vacuum. All in all, <em> perfect </em> arcade.</p><p>Sykkuno ended up being <em> incredibly </em> good at whack-a-mole while Corpse was more talented at skeeball. They had decided to spend an accumulated twenty dollars on coins, but all proved pointless as they stared at the man at the counter in defeat. “Congratulations, lucky customer.” The man deadpanned, “You have 500 tickets. With these tickets… you can buy two pencil cap erasers.” </p><p>“What.” Corpse said, because, well, <em> what. </em> </p><p>The employee repeated himself drolly, “Two. Pencil. Erasers.”</p><p>Sykkuno and Corpse shared a look that was mutually <em> what the fuck </em> before relenting. “Fine,” they forked over the tickets, and a pencil eraser plopped into each of their hands. </p><p>“Have a nice day.” Was all they got before they left.</p><p>Once they left, they burst into confused laughter. “I… don’t remember arcades being that much of a scam.” Corpse admitted. “What a waste of twenty dollars.” He felt a bit self conscious about his decision to go there, suddenly.<em> What if Sykkuno was upset that we had lost money over it? What if– </em></p><p>Sykkuno took Corpse’s hand in his own, shooting him a smile. “Hey, it’s alright. I had fun, so it wasn’t a waste. Plus, you never know when you’re going to need an eraser.” Corpse felt his neck heat up and he averted his gaze. “Do you want to get a churro and just sit on the beach for a bit?”</p><p>Corpse nodded quietly, leading Sykkuno to a churro stand in the middle of the pier. “Uh… two churros, please?” He requested, pulling out his wallet to pay. He was stopped, however, by Sykkuno settling a hand on his arm.</p><p>“I’ll pay,” he offered, giving Corpse a look that pretty obviously meant <em> no arguing, I’m paying. </em> </p><p>“Okay, thanks,” the taller surrendered and they were each handed a churro without further fanfare.</p><p>With churros in hand, they made their way to the beach. Neither of them had brought a towel, so they elected to just walk down and talk. </p><p>What they hadn’t accounted for (besides the towel, of course, but that’s already been established) was the gulls. Corpse briefly thought back to the cannibalistic rat he had seen on the subway a couple weeks back because the gulls almost beat<em> that </em> in terms of viciousness. <em> Can seagulls have rabies? </em></p><p><em> Oh my god, this is the worst date I’ve ever been on, </em> he thought to himself as they tossed their churros to the wind and retreated from the attacking seagulls. Granted, he hadn’t been on an honest-to-goodness date in a couple years, but <em> still. Terrible. </em></p><p>“Well,” Sykkuno panted as they watched the gulls devour their churros from afar, “that was exciting.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Corpse apologized, “I had no idea that the gulls would be like that.”</p><p>Sykkuno shook his head, “It’s okay! Besides, there’s still the ferris wheel. It looks relatively empty, too–what a blessing! I’m kind of afraid of heights, but I’m sure I’ll be fine if you’re with me.” </p><p>Corpse blushed at the statement, “Um, yeah. That sounds fun.” He looked to his left, where Sykkuno had taken him by the hand and begun to lead him to the ferris wheel (which was, in fact, relatively empty.<em> Small blessings, </em> he supposed). Once they reached the wheel, they waited for the rotation to end before handing over a combined twenty dollars and hopping in. It was just the two of them, and Corpse waited for the wheel to start talking.</p><p>“I’m uh… sorry.” He apologized.</p><p>His neighbor watched him quizzically. “What for?” </p><p>The ferris wheel stopped. They were at the top. Corpse looked out to the view–on one side, the crashing waves of the ocean and on the other were the city lights of Los Angeles–avoiding eye contact as he continued. “Well, the arcade was a total scam and we got totally cheated, and we then got savagely attacked by gulls.” He gestured at the scrape on Sykkuno’s arm (he had been trying to hold his churro out of range when a gull decided to bite at his forearm instead. The ordeal wasn’t too bloody, but still frightening) and frowned, “I feel like my… lack of planning led to us having a bad date. I’m sorry, again. I'm a mess.” </p><p>He patted his hands on his knees nervously, only for them to be covered by Sykkuno’s. The older man took Corpse’s hands into his own before leaning closer. “Hey,” he murmured, but Corpse continued to look out to the ocean, embarrassed. “Look at me.” <em> Well, fuck, if you say so. </em> Corpse met Sykkuno’s gaze. “This has been the most fun date I’ve ever been on. Were we scammed? Possibly. Were we attacked? Definitely. But it was wonderful.” He lowered his volume such that Corpse had to lean forwards to even here. Their faces were suddenly very close, he noticed belatedly. “It was wonderful because I spent it with you, Corpse.” Sykkuno said, and suddenly Corpse felt a pair of lips capture his own.</p><p>Sparks went off in his chest and butterflies swarmed in his stomach as he leaned into the kiss, Sykkuno’s hands tightening around his own. Before he knew it, the kiss had deepened and they soon had to break away, breathless. The ferris wheel still hadn’t moved. <em> “Wow,” </em> he touched his hand to his lips, shocked.</p><p>Sykkuno laughed, echoing him, “Wow.”</p><p>A loud creak from the ferris wheel interrupted their moment. The man working the wheel called up to everyone aboard, “Technical difficulties, everyone! The wheel will probably be stuck for another twenty minutes. Sorry!”</p><p>Groans were heard from several pissed passengers. Corpse and Sykkuno shared a smile, however. “Good thing we have the best view,” Corpse joked.</p><p>“And a good twenty minutes to enjoy it, too.” Sykkuno gave a sly grin, “I wonder how we should spend it.”</p><p>And so their lips met again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahhh! and they kiss! finally, eight chapters in lol. i know i said this wasn't a slow burn but i mean,,,, it's the gays, it’s either rapidly quick or at a snail's pace and there's no in between. </p><p>oh, also! MUY IMPORTANTE!! i need yalls opinion on something. i have two endings planned out. i could either write a bittersweet but healthier one or a saccharine, dark, and cliche one. or i could do both! however, i’d rather just pick one. so um! PLEASE let me know which one you’d rather have via comment section. anyways, see you all tmrw and ily !!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mondays, am I right?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello everyone! thank you for the feedback regarding what to do for an ending :) i’ve decided two write the dark/saccharine ending as the ending for this fic, HOWEVER! i will add on an additional work that will hold the bittersweet route (it is still very sweet, tho) so u can read whichever one u want! however, i need to warn u that the alternate ending will come out later so u may wanna wait a bit. i mean, we still have a bit but i just wanna let yall know. </p><p>anyways. im rambling–enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Monday came around, Corpse still felt all warm and fuzzy as an aftereffect of the date. Sykkuno had dropped off a cranberry scone for him to eat for breakfast before heading to work, which was sweet of him. The elevator bell <em> ding </em>ed when it opened and he stepped out into the bullpen, greeting some uniformed officers on his way in. </p><p>Rae jumped him before he could even reach his desk, however, swinging her arm over his neck and dragging him into the breakroom where Toast, Jack, Felix, Tina, 5up, and Brooke were all gathered. Sitting him into a chair, she looked him in the eye and spoke, “Spill. <em> Everything.” </em> </p><p>Corpse laughed, “Uh, is this an interrogation? Why is everyone here–Cap, shouldn’t you be telling us to get to work?”</p><p>Shrugging, Felix answered, “I’m just as interested as everyone else. You haven’t been on a date in actual <em> years, </em> Corpse, from what I’ve heard. Plus, I haven’t had enough goofing off time since I was promoted. As Rae said, spill <em> everything.” </em> </p><p>Everyone was on the edge of their seat as Corpse began to tell the team about his date. When he had finished, the entire room was in various states of teasing him. Jack was patting him on the back proudly <em> (like a proud mama hen, </em> the Irishman had claimed), Toast was taking videos of the interaction on his phone, and Rae was cackling loudly from her seat. “That is… such a disastrous date.” She wheezed, “How the hell did it end so well?”</p><p>Corpse shrugged, stumped, “I think that’s just how it goes with Sykkuno. It always turns out wonderful.” He said honestly, evoking a few <em> awww’s </em> from his friends. “How do all of you guys even know I had a date?” His eyes narrowed as everyone’s gaze turned to Rae.</p><p>“Guilty!” She squeaked, running from the room in order to save face. Corpse was about to give chase before Toast tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing to the elevator door. He raised his phone up.</p><p>“We need to go,<em> now.” </em>The older detective spoke, alarming Corpse. “Another body was just discovered. I’ll drive us.” Corpse gave a sharp nod and followed his partner out of the bullpen and back into the elevator.</p><p>The drive over took a good ten minutes and Toast was ironically (or unironically? Toast could be difficult to read at times like these) blasting Cardi B for a good portion of it. “Was your date actually that… eventful or were you just trying to keep us unconcerned?” He asked concernedly, gaining Corpse’s attention.</p><p>Blushing, Corpse rubbed the back of his neck, wincing at the minor ache that went through his body. “It, uh… it was.”</p><p>Toast shot him a cheeky grin, but it faded to something more sincere. “I’m happy for you, man. You deserve to be happy with all the shit you have to deal with."</p><p>Corpse swallowed tentatively–this was the most vulnerable the partners had ever been with one another. “Thanks, Toast. It means a lot,” he settled to reply as they pulled up outside of the apartment complex where the crime scene was. The entire floor was taped down and everyone was questioned–mainly just due to protocol, they already knew the prime suspect–and both Corpse and Toast were briefed as they were escorted inside, slipping on some plastic gloves and walking into the bedroom.</p><p>When his eyes laid on the body, he almost gagged. It was a few days old for certain and the chest was a mangled, bloody mess. “Holy shit,” he swore under his breath, thankful that his mask blocked the scent of decay at least a <em> little. </em> “How old is the body, approximately?”</p><p>“About three and a half days, by now. Neighbors complained about a bad smell and the body was discovered shortly after.” One of the crime techs reported quickly, grimacing at the smell themself. </p><p>Toast drew closer to the body, squinting as he analyzed the wounds. “It looks like our perp drew a face…” he said, “The body is just beginning to bloat, so it may not be the most accurate,” he acknowledged before saying, jokingly, “Hey, it kind of looks like you, Corpse!”</p><p>Frantically trying to ignore the dots connecting in his mind, he snapped back, “Don’t say that.” However, the carved, bloody mouth looked really similar and the hair was almost identical to his own (well, except for the fact that it was drawn onto an <em> actual </em> corpse and was bloody and gross, but the resemblance was still there, and it worried him). He scoffed and shook his head, “Come on, let’s check the scene and see if anything was left behind.”</p><p>As always, nothing was, and Corpse wondered how his face found its way to a dead person’s body.</p><p>(He had a sneaking suspicion, though, that he didn’t want to think about.)</p><p>***</p><p>It was 6 PM and he was on the train to Rae’s house. He’d bought a bottle of wine for them (it even came with a cute little baggie that was Christmas themed, despite Christmas still being a few weeks away) to share with her and had stuff to stay over with in a bag slung over his shoulder. He tapped his foot on the floor of the train anxiously, glancing around him. </p><p>He couldn’t help but think about Toast’s throwaway comment from earlier today. <em> It kind of looks like you, Corpse! </em> Because well, it really <em> did. </em> Sure, he didn’t have the same nose as the picture and his jawline was pretty off, but it was enough to spook him. <em> The body was beginning to decompose, though, </em> he thought, <em> so the image could have just been distorted at that point. Either that, or I have a doppelganger of sorts (or, well, the killer was someone he knew, but that was ridiculous). </em></p><p>Sykkuno <em> was </em> an artist, too, and not a bad one, either. <em> But he could never pull off a murder, </em> Corpse reasoned with himself, <em> he’s too sweet, and kind, and we have another date planned for next week– </em>he jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Sykkuno.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Hi Corpse! What are you doing tonight? I was thinking I could make us something.</p>
</blockquote><p>His heart warmed at the text and a smile grew behind his mask. Despite hating the fact he had to turn his neighbor down, he already had plans.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: i can’t i’m sorry :( i already made plans with rae. i’m free tmrw though if you are :)</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Okay! Sounds great. I’ll think up a menu choice. Maybe <em> Bun cha? </em></p>
  <p>corpse: that sounds delicious and i would love to</p>
  <p>corpse: ok i gtg now bye</p>
  <p>corpse: &lt;3</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: &lt;3</p>
</blockquote><p>He blushed (and immediately chided himself for being a middle school girl by doing so) as he pocketed his phone again and the train reached his stop. It was only a two block walk from Rae’s place from there, so he texted her to let her know and headed over.</p><p>Once he reached her door he knocked gently. Rae’s roommate, Poki, was out with some other friends so they had the place to themselves for the night. Immediately, the door was open and Rae dragged him inside.</p><p>“Hold on, you’re going to make me drop the wine!” He scolded her, and she looked at him strangely. </p><p>“Wait, I said <em> I </em> would get the wine.” She looked at the bottle and then to the one that was on the counter–Corpse supposed it was the one she had brought. “Well, looks like we’re doing a <em> fuck </em> ton of drinking tonight!” Rae cheered, pulling him to the kitchen. </p><p>He dropped his bag on the floor near the bathroom on the way over before grabbing two wine glasses from Rae’s cabinet and setting it on the counter. “Rae,” he addressed her seriously, “I don’t care how badly tonight fucks with me, this has been a shit day and I need to get white girl wasted.” </p><p>The older woman snickered, “And I’ll drink to that!” She toasted after pouring them both a glass. “The pizza should be coming in like… fifteen minutes. Now, I need to rant <em> and </em> you need to rant, so let me grab this–” she wrapped her hand around the first bottle of wine, the other hand holding her drink, “–and make my way over to the couch. C’mon.”</p><p>They were both halfway into their second glasses by the time the pizza had arrived, and Rae had given the pizza lady a twenty dollar tip because she was, quote, cute, unquote. Once they had each finished their fourth glass and Rae had finished her ranting it was 8 PM and they started the movie.</p><p>Now, <em> The Notebook </em>may not have the best ratings in the world of film, but it never failed to make both Rae and Corpse cry like children. It was most effective, too, when they were incredibly drunk.</p><p>And, well, by the time the movie had come to an end, they were each <em> eight </em> glasses into the wine. “CORPSE!” Rae sobbed into his gray t-shirt, staining it, “Why do we always choose this fucking movieeeee.” She slurred, laying her head across his lap as he cried into a pillow “Like, I know you’re a ma… masochissstt but I’m just! SAD!” </p><p>“Rae I told you that in–” he hiccuped, “–in confidence, don’t you <em> dare </em> bring it up noww…” he sniffled. “I <em> needed </em> this cry, thank you,” he told her, petting her hair and bending over to kiss her on the head drunkenly.</p><p>She looked up at him, swatting lazily at his face with a floppy arm. “Whaddya mean you <em> needed </em>this?”</p><p>“I’m scared my neighbor–”</p><p>“The hot one?”</p><p>“Yeah. I’m afraid he’s actually a psychopathic murderer that drew my face on the chest of his victims.” He confided, and was proud of the fact he barely slurred his words.</p><p>Rae sighed, and made it so that their positions were switched–Corpse’s head laid on her thighs and she played with his curls as she spoke honestly. “I…” a hiccup, “I think that you’re just being kind of paranoid and drunk, but like… if you’re ever in danger pleeeaseee call me and text me so I can b-beat whoever the hell is hurting you,” she instructed, and he nodded into her hand.</p><p>“Thanks, Rae. Y’know what?” He shot up, “I’m gonna text him.”</p><p>She screeched, “Don’t just <em> text </em>him and ask if he’s a murderer, Corpsie! You’ll scare him away.” </p><p><em> Huh, that’s fair, </em> Corpse decided and instead shot a different message.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: heyyyy ;)</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Hi Corpse! What’s up?</p>
  <p>corpse: ur cvutte</p>
  <p>corpse: xute</p>
  <p>corpse: cute</p>
  <p>sykk: &lt;3: Corpse, are you drunk?</p>
  <p>corpse: no</p>
</blockquote><p>Rae slapped his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: maytbe a littttle</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Do you need me to pick you up from somewhere? Are you alright?</p>
  <p>corpse: no im okawy</p>
  <p>corpse: i jsut wanna say</p>
  <p>corpse: i liek you a lottttt</p>
  <p>corpse: like u are SOO cutee and also hote and sweete and scuh a good cook</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Aw, thank you Corpse. You’re adorable.</p>
</blockquote><p>Blushing, he buried his head into another pillow and Rae grabbed his phone from him at this point of weakness.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: HI SYYYKKKKUNOOOO ITDS RAEE</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Hi Rae! Corpse has told me many good things about you :)</p>
  <p>corpse: COOOL I LOV THAT</p>
  <p>corpse: T</p>
  <p>corpse: ASLSO IF YOU HURT CROPSE I WILL MURDDERD YOU</p>
  <p>corpse: IDC IF INM A COP I WIILL DO IT</p>
  <p>corpse: SO KEEP HIM SAFE ANMD HAPPY</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Yes, ma’am! </p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: But seriously, I would never dream of hurting Corpse</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Unless he wanted me to ;)</p>
  <p>corpse: EWEW GROSS IM GIVING HISM PHOEN BAKC NOW</p>
</blockquote><p>Dropping his phone back into his hands, Rae deadpanned, “You two are perfect for each other. He made a sadist joke.” As Corpse read through the texts and flustered, she stood up, “I’m getting the other bottle from the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything.”</p><p>Corpse shook his head <em> no, </em> before returning to his phone. He blinked the post-<em>Notebook </em>tears out of his eyes before typing again.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: omg</p>
  <p>corpse: im soryr abt rae sshes prowctive</p>
  <p>corpse: protectigvne</p>
  <p>corpse: protecive</p>
  <p>corpse: fukc</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: It’s okay! I find it very sweet of her and I’m glad you have good friends :) Sorry if that comment I made was uncomfortable for you, haha!</p>
  <p>corpse: uh lol</p>
  <p>corpse: it wasnst</p>
  <p>corpse: im actuelt into that so ur godo</p>
</blockquote><p><em> WHY THE FUCK DID I SAY THAT, </em> Corpse wondered loudly in his own head. After a minute of getting no response, he quickly followed up.</p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>corpse: actualy pls ignre that u were probaby jokign oh no</p>
</blockquote><p>Sykkuno’s response was instant this time.</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Oh no you’re okay! Sorry I was just taken aback. I’m… also into that so I was just awestruck at how lucky I am to have met you &lt;3</p>
  <p>corpse: oh</p>
  <p>corpse: &lt;3</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Alright, you go ahead and go back to hanging out with Rae. I don’t want to monopolize your night. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and go to sleep at a somewhat reasonable time!</p>
  <p>corpse: imposiblt</p>
  <p>corpse: insomdnia gamg</p>
  <p>corpse: maybye if we cudldled i coulld sleep… ;)</p>
  <p>sykk &lt;3: Okay, Corpse. Maybe some night soon, but please drink some water. Gn &lt;3</p>
  <p>corpse: gn syyy</p>
</blockquote><p>Rae took his phone as she returned and read through the texts with bleary eyes. “Gross,” she scoffed, “I forgot you get horny and confident when you’re done being sad drunk. Get away from me.”</p><p>Instead, Corpse just bearhugged her onto the couch. “No,” he refused politely, “I love you Raeeee.”</p><p>“Ew!” She shrieked, laughing before slurredly responding, “I love you too.” She grabbed the remote and shut the television off. “Let’s go get into our jammmmies and go to bed. We’re cuddling.”</p><p>“I want little spoon,” Corpse instantly said as he shot off the couch, bringing Rae up with him. He tripped a little on the coffee table but didn’t fall as they made their way to the bathroom. </p><p>Rae batted at him with her bra, “You always get little spoon!”</p><p>“That’s because I’m self conscious and was touch starved for most of my youth, Rae. What do you have to combat that?” He retorted.</p><p>His best friend just rolled her eyes, “You use that excuse <em> every </em> time, too. You’re just a big baby.” She teased.</p><p>“Am not,” he frowned.</p><p>“Are too.”</p><p>“Am not.” </p><p>“Are too.” </p><p>“Am not.”</p><p>“Am not.”</p><p>“Are too,” Corpse said. “Wait, no–”</p><p>“HAH!” Rae cried, “So you admit it!”</p><p>“You tricked me!” Corpse accused as he shuffled into a large sweatshirt and out of his pants.</p><p>Rae turned around as she pulled on a pair of pajama shorts. “There were no tricks involved,” she claimed, “It’s just <em> facts.” </em></p><p>“You fiend.” He growled before rubbing at his eyes and yawning. It wasn’t as intimidating as he tried for it to be.</p><p>“You know you love me,” she said, and it was true as always as they piled into her bed. “C’mere.” She opened her arms. “Cuddle time.”</p><p>“You’re a good big spoon, anyways, Rae.” Corpse joked.</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>And they fell asleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this entire chapter was a psa to normalize vulnerable different-gendered friendships without thinking they’re dating. also i just really love writing Rae (if you hadn’t noticed. though, im sure you already have). also, this was barely edited so apologies for any mistakes as always. thank you all again for leaving so much feedback last chapter and i hope you enjoyed this! thank you all so much for reading and i’ll see you tomorrow :3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christmas approaches. Sykkuno and Corpse grow closer (is it a good thing?).</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello, all! happy two days til christmas! are you excited? i know i am! however, most of my break will be me getting all my E’s up to B’s… this is a bit of a filler chapter in preparation for the one tomorrow, by the way. you get a sykk pov, though, so yay!</p><p>still! hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday and i hope you enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH</b>
</p><p>It was in the low fifties and the sun had already set by the time Corpse had arrived at his door. Sykkuno had been making noodles and working with the pork for the past hour or so, so dinner was almost ready.</p><p>“Come on in, the door’s unlocked!” He called. Corpse walked in and Sykkuno poked his head out of the kitchen to greet him. “How are you? I’ve been working on dinner for a little bit, now. You <em> do </em> like pork, right?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Corpse confirmed. “It smells great, by the way,” he complimented as he shrugged off his jacket and set it on the coat rack by the door. “Thank you for making it.”<br/>Sykkuno smiled at him and his heart beat loudly in his chest. “Of course, Corpse. What would you like to drink?” </p><p>“Just water,” he responded. “All the wine last night really screwed with my GERD. It’s why my voice is kind of, uh, dead right now.” <em> Right, </em> Sykkuno thought, <em> last night. </em> He had been caught off guard by the drunken texts of his neighbor (and Rae, as well), but it was also incredibly funny and a <em> good </em> learning experience so he didn’t mind at all. It was actually pretty endearing, in its own way.</p><p>“Okay.” Sykkuno offered, “I can make some chamomile tea, if you’d like.” </p><p>Corpse smiled at him, ducking his head to take off his mask and pocket it. Sykkuno’s eyes fixated in on his lips again–chapped, but oh so full and lovely. “That–that sounds wonderful, thanks.”</p><p>Humming in response, the older man spoke, “Would you like to watch another movie? I have a ton of Ghiblis–as you’ve seen–but also a lot of other stuff.” </p><p>“Yeah, um…” Corpse walked to the living room to check out the DVD collection, “Wait, you have <em> Legally Blonde?” </em> </p><p>Sykkuno laughed at the question, mincing garlic as he responded, “Uh, yeah! Do you want to watch it?”</p><p>There was a brief moment of silence (in what Sykkuno assumed was contemplation) from the younger man’s side before he said, “Nah, I just watched <em> The Notebook </em> last night and am officially chick-flicked out for the week. You have a lot of horrors, by the way.”</p><p><em> I’ll just help him out, </em>Sykkuno figured as he finished up the sauce. “Give me a second…” He called from his spot at the stove. A minute later he was by the taller’s side, sorting through DVD cases. “Okay, dinner’s done.” He informed Corpse, “If you don’t want to watch anything here we can rent something, by the way.” </p><p>“No, it’s fine, I’m just really bad at picking stuff out.” Corpse sheepishly admitted, “Could you pick something out, maybe? I like horrors.” <em> Cute. </em></p><p>“Yeah, um…” Sykkuno mused to himself for a little bit, spacing out and looking through DVDs. He finally found what he was looking for, “Ah! Do you wanna watch <em> Insidious?” </em> He asked only to get no response. He turned, surprised to see Corpse studying his face near <em> religiously. </em> It made him blush as he repeated, “Corpse?”</p><p>Corpse startled, “What?” </p><p>“I was asking you if you wanted to watch <em> Insidious </em> . I’ve watched it like, five times, but the jump scares still always get me.” Sykkuno giggled. <em> Leave it to me to be fine in the face of blood and gore but yelp at every cliché jumpscare. </em></p><p>“I’m down,” he answered, and so they each got a serving of <em> Bun cha </em> and sat down next to one another for the movie. “I have to warn you, though, that I laugh like a fucking idiot at horror movies.” <em> Ah. This is going to be embarrassing for me. </em></p><p>Corpse leaned against the arm of the couch and Sykkuno rested his head on his shoulder as the movie went by, jerking at the jumpscares (which, promptly, made Corpse laugh like an idiot) and at one point spilling noodles onto himself (which made Corpse laugh even more. It was great). Bimbus immediately went after said noodles, and afterwards cuddled between them.</p><p>Sykkuno noticed that Corpse was being a little quiet, so he asked Corpse “Are you alright?”</p><p>Corpse squirmed uncomfortably and wiggled his fingers against his thighs nervously–Sykkuno ended up staring at said thighs for a second, because <em> nice. </em> He looked back up, however, when the younger man inquired, “Hey, are we like… dating, now? Because we kissed a <em> lot </em> on Friday, and I’d like for us to do so again. And um–”</p><p><em> Oh, you, </em> Sykkuno thought before cutting him off with a quick peck on the lips. He giggled into his hand as he replied, “I would <em> very much </em> like to be your boyfriend, Corpse, if that’s what you’re asking.”</p><p>“That–that <em> is </em> what I’m asking,” Corpse confirmed, nodding to himself. “Great, great.”</p><p>“Great.” Sykkuno went up to kiss him again, but Bimbus interrupted by jumping up between the two of them.</p><p>They laughed.</p><p>
  <b>FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11TH</b>
</p><p>Sykkuno hummed merrily to himself as he carved Corpse’s face onto the chest of his victim. His name was Leone and he had a relatively small bed, so when he bled out it dyed the white of his carpet red. </p><p>Tapping at his face contemplatively, Sykkuno decided to add more detail. He had definitely improved from last time–the face shape was much better and the nose was only a little bit off. He decided to add more to the eyes, as well. They were the right almond shape, but he also added a few smudges of blood as Corpse’s smudged eyeliner. </p><p>Once satisfied, he swung off the body and cleaned everything off. His phone rang as he was getting dressed and he picked up. “Hi, Corpse!”</p><p>“Hi, Sy. I was thinking we could hang out downtown on Sunday. Do you like boba tea?”</p><p>“I love boba tea!” Sykkuno grinned, “Can we bring Bimbus with us? He’s been wanting more attention lately.”</p><p>“Yeah, uh… that sounds good. What are you up to?”</p><p>“Oh,” Sykkuno lilted, looking around himself, “Just cleaning up at work. I had to work the last shift today. You?”</p><p>“Just chilling at home. Uh… see you Sunday?” Corpse asked.</p><p>Sykkuno nodded, not that Corpse could see. “Mhm! Bye, Corpse!”</p><p>“Bye,” he hung up, and Sykkuno looked back to his drawing.</p><p>“See you Sunday.”</p><p>
  <b>SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13TH</b>
</p><p>Sykkuno knocked on Corpse’s door, Bimbus’ leash in hand. “Come on in!” Corpse said, “I need to finish up my eyeliner.”</p><p>“Okay!” Sykkuno called back as he opened the door. He hadn’t really been inside Corpse’s apartment yet. There was a pizza box on the counter and Sykkuno frowned. <em> I hope he hasn’t been living off of cold pizza, still. Maybe we should make pizza together soon. </em>“Bimbus is here, by the way.”</p><p>At that, Corpse walked out from what Sykkuno assumed was the bathroom, cooing at the dog. Sykkuno took the opportunity to admire his boyfriend, however, because <em> damn. </em> He was wearing a dark red turtleneck and some black jeans. His eyeliner was actually pretty pristine (for once) and there was some red eyeshadow at the corners of his eyes. A couple of silver rings decorated his fingers and he was smiling. His mask was under his chin, ready to be put on as soon as they stepped outside. <em> Wow, </em> Sykkuno realized, <em> he looks good in red. </em></p><p>Shaking his head of the thought, he asked Corpse, “You ready?” The detective nodded, and Sykkuno led him out of the apartment by the hand, waiting for him to lock it before continuing down the hall. “So, you want boba?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah.” Corpse cleared his throat, “Only if you’re okay with that, though.”</p><p>The killer shot a pleased smile to his neighbor. “I’d love that, don’t you worry. Are dogs allowed?” </p><p>“Probably?” Corpse shrugged, “I don’t think they’ll mind a sweetie like Bimbus, anyways.”</p><p>“Don’t let him fool you,” Sykkuno warned. “He’s a little demon himself. Plus his hair can get <em> everywhere </em> when I don’t groom him enough.”</p><p>Corpse paused at that, contemplative, before continuing towards the boba shop as though nothing had happened.</p><p>Once they arrived, Corpse had ordered a lychee fruit tea (with boba) and Sykkuno had just gotten a basic green milk tea (again, with boba). They walked to the park nearby as they drank their tea. Sykkuno decided to stir up a conversation, “So, um, how–how’s work?”</p><p>Not looking him in the eye, Corpse replied, “Oh, it’s uh… it’s going well.”</p><p>“Any developments in that case you’re working?” Sykkuno attempted, “You know, the big murder one…”</p><p>“It’s classified,” the younger male immediately replied–as though it were by reflex–before sighing. “But I guess we need to talk about <em> something.” </em>He allowed, and Sykkuno smiled a bit before covering it up. “It’s been very… strange. We just came across another body yesterday, actually.”</p><p>“You did?” Sykkuno pretended to be surprised. He kind of was, honestly–they’ve begun to discover the bodies much faster, now.</p><p>Corpse nodded, looking down at Bimbus suspiciously. “Yeah. The killer–um… keeps carving a face into the victims.”</p><p>The older man gasped, “That’s horrible! Have they identified what face? It may be a self-portrait.”</p><p>“That’s the issue,” Corpse grumbled, “it’s my face.”</p><p>“Oh,” Sykkuno wasn’t shocked, but pretended to be. “That’s weird.”</p><p>Corpse continued, “We <em> did </em> find a small piece of evidence at the scene though, so the killer might be getting a little too confident.”</p><p>Tensing lightly, Sykkuno swallowed the lump in his throat as he asked, “You did? What was it?”</p><p>“A white hair.” The cop said, “Forensics identified it as belonging to a dog. It was difficult to find–blended right into his carpet.”</p><p>“Well,” Sykkuno laughed, trying to destress, “dog hair really <em> does </em> get everywhere, huh?”</p><p>The taller man just gave a hum in agreement, and their walk continued.</p><p>Sykkuno grabbed his hand and squeezed. <em> Please don’t walk away just yet. </em></p><p>Corpse squeezed back.</p><p>
  <b>SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19TH</b>
</p><p>Sykkuno opened the door as soon as Corpse knocked. “I… wasn’t expecting you.”</p><p>“Yeah, uh…” the younger man flustered, and Sykkuno found it absolutely adorable, “I, um, thought we could have a self care night. I stopped at CVS on the way over and bought a lot of face masks and stuff, so I was thinking…” He shifted on his feet, “Sorry, it’s kind of dumb.”</p><p>Adamantly shaking his head, Sykkuno stepped aside and beckoned Corpse to come in. He was blushing himself as he said, “No, Corpse, this is actually super sweet of you. I love this… thank you.” He scratched at his arm, “I feel bad, I didn’t make anything for tonight.” </p><p>“That’s okay,” Corpse comforted as he set the plastic bag filled with face masks and the like on the countertop. “We can just order a pizza or something.”</p><p>Sykkuno paused, and it clicked. “Wait, I have the ingredients for pizza! Not like dough and everything, but I have some premade dough that I bought a few days ago in case we wanted to make pizza together… this is perfect!” </p><p>Laughing happily, Corpse took his mask off and tucked it into his pocket. “It is!”</p><p>“Okay,” Sykkuno clapped his hands, “Let’s get to it. Pizza first and then face masks?”</p><p>Smiling shyly, the detective agreed and they began to work on their pizza. “So, um, how do we do this?”</p><p>“You’ve never made pizza before?” Sykkuno questioned.</p><p>“Nope,” Corpse said, “I haven’t done a lot of things before.” </p><p>Humming, Sykkuno decided to think about that statement more later as he began his instructions. “Okay, I’ll get the dough and cheese from the fridge. Can you get the tomato sauce from the pantry? Oh, also, what toppings would you like?” </p><p>“I’m down for whatever,” Corpse answered as he got the tomato sauce from the pantry. “I’m not too picky, but preferably nothing <em> too </em> extra.”</p><p><em> Fine with me, </em> Sykkuno thought and set out the dough. “Do we want one big pizza or two little ones?” </p><p>“A big one, preferably. We can do little ones another time.” </p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>***</p><p>The pizza ended up tasting great, even if the process was less than perfect. Sykkuno had tried to toss the dough like a professional to impress Corpse and it ended up sticking to his ceiling for a solid minute before falling down (they still used the dough, though, ceiling germs be damned) and then Corpse had ended up dropping an entire handful of cheese on the ground for Bimbus to immediately vacuum up.</p><p>It was filled with laughs, though, and they both ate it happily as they studied the instructions for the face masks. “Have you done these before?” Sykkuno asked Corpse, who was struggling to open one of the masks.</p><p>“Um, yeah. I used to do them weekly with my ex and I still do them pretty often with Rae,” he finally opened the mask and let out a cheer.</p><p>Sykkuno felt a small flash of jealousy rush through him at the words. “What was your ex like?” He inquired before he could stop himself. “Sorry if that’s rude, you don’t need to answer,” he followed up with upon seeing Corpse’s frown.</p><p>Shaking his head, Corpse said, “No, no, it’s alright. She was pretty nice at the start, but wasn’t very understanding of my… issues and so we ended up fighting a lot before she broke it off. I cried for like a week.” </p><p>“Oh,” Sykkuno suddenly wondered what the cops would think if he started killing women as well. “I’m sorry, Corpse. You didn’t deserve that.” He helped his boyfriend apply the mask, touching his cheek tenderly. The mood shifted slightly and Sykkuno took advantage. “You deserve someone who could take care of you–understand you,” he cooed, and Corpse leaned into his hand a little, gazing fondly into his eyes. “I promise to take care of you, Corpse.” He swore without thinking. <em> Fuck, </em> he cursed, <em> I’m in deep. Retreat, retrea– </em></p><p>But damn, the <em> smile </em> that Corpse gave him at his promise made him want to keep his word. <em> I want to protect him, </em> he thought, <em> but how do I protect him from myself? </em></p><p>Corpse began to speak, however, and he looked at Sykkuno so sweetly as he murmured–“Th-thank you, Sykkuno. That, um…” he swallowed, and Sykkuno stared at his neck as his Adam’s apple bobbed, “no one has ever promised me that, actually. I…” he bit his lip, and Sykkuno dived to kiss him.</p><p>“I promise,” he said between kisses, “that I will keep you safe, no matter what.” He paused the kissing to be even more vulnerable, folding his hands together as he confided, “I really like you, Corpse. More than I think I’ve ever liked anyone before. I… I don’t know if it’s love, because we’ve only been official for such a short amount of time, but I’ve known you were special since I first knocked on your door that day in early October.”</p><p>“Oh,” was all Corpse ended up saying at first, and Sykkuno gave a teary-eyed laugh. “That–wow… I, um, really don’t know what to say.” He tugged at his collar, looking away. “I really, really like you too, Sykkuno. I’m glad we’re together.”</p><p>“Me too, Corpse,” Sykkuno grinned as he studied the man’s face some more before going in for another kiss. “Me too.”</p><p>(Shortly after, the timer for their face masks went off and they broke away, but the tender moment was forever fresh in their minds.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahhh! there we go! this took a bit to write given i was on a long car ride today but :))) here it is! i… basically didn’t edit this at all, but i hope you enjoyed anyways &lt;3 very excited to see you all tomorrow, adios!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A confrontation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>woh!!1!!1! here we are at the reveal! merry christmas eve to all, i hope you enjoy this chapter :3 and so the rating goes up… i had to get very drunk to write this so,,, be gentle pls. love you all, and enjoy! </p><p>also! top sykkuno agenda here, lol ;3 fair warning: i do not write smut basically at all, so apologies if it’s horrible. and basically no editing was done out of shame so ! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Corpse stared into his mirror, and then to the photos of the portraits on the bodies. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought,</span>
  <em>
    <span> that fucking carving is of me and my boyfriend is the only artist I know. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He chewed on his lip, turning away from his mirror and filing back the photos (technically they weren’t to be brought home, but Corpse was having a crisis and legality was somehow both the most and least of his issues). </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am 90 percent sure that Sykkuno is a serial killer, what the hell. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The issue was that he didn’t know if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sykkuno to be turned in. He was being stupid and naïve and it would probably end up with him being killed, but he actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> liked the man. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But why the fuck does he kill?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He wondered, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why the fuck does he do this?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And why hasn’t he done it to me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Therefore, his problems. He didn’t want to choose between his romance and his job, for heaven's sake! </span>
  <em>
    <span>What is this, Game of Thrones? Piss off, I can’t deal with that.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He paced his room before inhaling sharply and shooting a quick text to Rae.</span>
</p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>crops: if i don’t text u back by tmrw night i am very dead</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>cRAEzy: WHAT</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Shutting off his phone and setting it on silent, he stepped out into the hallways and knocked on Sykkuno’s door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took the older man a good ten seconds to open the door–Corpse didn’t blame him, it was 10 PM on Christmas Eve. “Corpse?” He asked, moving aside to let him in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno squinted at him confusedly, “Is something wrong?” He cocked his head at an angle, and Corpse would have found it cute if he weren’t so torn up inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Yeah.” Was all he said, and Sykkuno’s eyes widened as he began to panic slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t breaking up, are we? Did I do something wrong? I’m–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse cut him off, “N-no, I’m not here to break up with you, I–” he coughed into his sleeve. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck, why is this so difficult? You just need to open your mouth and talk, idiot!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno moved forwards quickly as soon as the first tear rolled down his cheek. “Here, let’s move to the couch so you can sit down.” He looped his arm around Corpse’s waist and led him to the living room, letting Corpse curl into him. He buried his head into the crook of the older man’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The detective shivered as the Sykkuno’s hand made contact with his hair, petting him. Once he had regathered his strength and his tears had stopped, Corpse whispered into the man’s neck, “Why haven’t you killed me yet?” The hand in his hair stilled and Sykkuno’s back stiffened a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” He murmured back, and Corpse felt the temperature in the room drop at least ten degrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why haven’t you killed me yet?” He repeated, a bit louder this time. “I… I’m not stupid,” he sneered, “are you just playing with me before slitting my neck?” Sykkuno released him, and Corpse’s confidence heightened as he stood up, cornering the man. “You’re the damn murderer, dammit, aren’t you?!” His voice cracked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno’s voice was unsure and almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>scared</span>
  </em>
  <span> as he replied, “What would you do if I were?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Corpse faltered. “I, um… I–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with such, it was Sykkuno’s turn to be confident. He stood up and began to corner Corpse instead. “Do you want to know why I haven’t killed you, Corpse?” The killer muttered threateningly as he took another step. Corpse’s back hit the wall. “Do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Corpse suddenly felt much, much smaller than Sykkuno. Was this how his victims felt? Was he about to die right now? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His shoulders were seized and he was pulled </span>
  <em>
    <span>much </span>
  </em>
  <span>closer (was Sykkuno actually that strong or was Corpse just feeling very weak?). Close enough that Sykkuno only had to whisper when he said, “It’s because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse stood stiffly, shocked,</span>
  <em>
    <span> that wasn’t at all what I thought was going to happen. I figured I was a goner for sure.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I…” he was speechless, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the fuck am I supposed to do in this kind of situation? The academy did </span>
  </em>
  <span>not</span>
  <em>
    <span> ever cover this.</span>
  </em>
  <span> His heart pounded in his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno backed him against the wall again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What will you do?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Corpse croaked, and he really </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I really don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Humming, Sykkuno leaned up to nibble on the shell of ear. Corpse shivered as his boyfriend’s words tickled him, “I have an idea.” Sykkuno stopped, however, to look Corpse in the eye. “I wasn’t lying when I promised you that I would protect you. I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> for you, Corpse. I...” Sykkuno took his hand, “Baby… I don’t want you to leave me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow,</span>
  </em>
  <span> if that didn’t do something to Corpse. “What–what’s your idea?” He worried at his lip again, fingers wiggling anxiously at his side.</span>
</p><p><span>“I think that I should just… </span><em><span>convince</span></em><span> you to stay,” the shorter smiled mischievously before seizing Corpse’s mouth, chewing at his bottom lip before diving in with his tongue. Corpse had </span><em><span>never</span></em><span> seen Sykkuno this </span><em><span>damn</span></em><span> confident</span> <span>before. </span><em><span>Is this what he’s really like?</span></em><span> He wondered, </span><em><span>I’m kinda into it.</span></em></p><p>
  <span>Corpse, against his better judgement, began to kiss back (and, well, who could blame him? Sure, Sykkuno had killed seven men, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>damn</span>
  </em>
  <span> if he wasn’t incredibly attractive and nice and caring and–). “Fuck!” He gasped as Sykkuno trailed down his jaw and bit into his neck painfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno hummed against Corpse’s tender skin, sucking hickies into his neck. “Follow me, love.” He murmured, leading Corpse to the bedroom. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse thought as he followed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh, we’re doing this.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was pushed down onto the bed, whining in protest as Sykkuno parted from his skin to ask, “So, do you actually like pain, darling?” At his nod, the murderer continued, “Do you care about these clothes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, well, and the moment Corpse cared about nothing but himself and Sykkuno, so he shook his head </span>
  <em>
    <span>no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sykkuno grinned and stepped away from him to take off his clothes, leaving himself in only his boxers. “What..?” Corpse trailed off, confused, when Sykkuno stopped him from removing his own clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shorter male left the room for a quick second before returning with a knife. “Do you trust me?” He implored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t,” Corpse admitted breathlessly, “but I think I do.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno grinned at his admission and shuffled out of the rest of his clothes before straddling Corpse. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is how he kills his victims,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse realized,</span>
  <em>
    <span> straddling them before slicing their throats. </span>
  </em>
  <span>At that thought, the older man brought the knife to Corpse’s neck and his breath hitched. However, the knife sliced through the fabric of his shirt instead of the flesh on his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Sykkuno smiled as he cut through Corpse’s pants, tugging all his clothes off with ease, “This is the knife I use to carve your face with, you know.” And </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse probably wasn’t fully lucid right now, because somehow that made all the blood in his body rush </span>
  <em>
    <span>straight</span>
  </em>
  <span> to his cock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That… that’s a–a murder weapon and…” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Corpse squirmed as Sykkuno continued to suck at his body, drawing thin, skinny lines upon his skin with the knife. Blood was drawn and smudged about him. “Sy…” he moaned as the knife nicked his hip bone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay like that, baby,” Sykkuno muttered as he trailed up Corpse’s chest with a knife. “I don’t think you’d want your own face on your skin… how about a leaf?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A leaf sounds good–whatever you want–just </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>keep touching me, Sy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like when you call me that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Sy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Keep doing that,” he instructed as he finished up the leaf–it looked much better than his original leaves, Corpse noticed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s almost pretty,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought offhandedly as Sykkuno set aside the knife and got ready to prep him. The younger man was a bit caught off guard when he was swung around to go on all fours, but didn’t protest.“You want this, right?” Sykkuno double-checked, and Corpse’s heart swelled a bit in his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he gasped at the cold sensation of lube near his hole. A finger pressed in suddenly and Corpse groaned, “Sy, Sy please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, darling?” The killer asked teasingly as he thrusted his finger in and out before adding a second. It burned a little, but Corpse quickly adapted and pleasure mixed in well enough with the pain regardless. The fingers in his ass began to scissor, and Corpse pushed back restlessly. “Patience, Corpse. All good things come with time,” Sykkuno chided, and he shut his mouth to muffle a whine. Noticing, the older man responded, “Don’t hide your sounds, Corpse. I love that voice of yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gasping as a third finger was added, he rasped, “I lov-love yours too, Sy.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno just hummed fondly, “That’s very sweet of you, baby.” He paused, pulling out his fingers. Corpse looked back to see his boyfriend pulling open a condom and shuffling out of his boxers before pulling on the rubber. They were both fully erect–Corpse tried to reach down to touch himself but was promptly scolded, his hand being smacked away. “None of that, Corpse.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse continued to look over his shoulder so he could watch Sykkuno’s movements. His back went straight when he felt his boyfriend’s lubed-up cock press against his entrance. Whining, he begged, “Sy, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A breathy laugh erupted from behind him, and Corpse blushed even more as he saw Sykkuno’s face light up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How is it that someone so bright can be so cruel?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The murderer’s laugh smoothed out into a pleased smile and Corpse’s breath hitched as he was entered swiftly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a moment to adjust, but Sykkuno was being relatively patient, and Corpse appreciated it. He gave a nod when he was ready and a gasp when the cock inside him began to move. As their bodies rocked together, Corpse’s back arched while Sykkuno leaned over to murmur into his ear. “Such a good boy,” he praised, “such a good boy for me. How long did you have your suspicions?” Corpse moaned as his prostate was hit head on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About… a month ago is when I really became suspicious…” he answered honestly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel Sykkuno frown against the skin on his cheek. “Did you only date me to confirm your assumptions?” The rocking movements stopped as Sykkuno’s body tensed, and Corpse let out another needy whine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” He denied fiercely. “I…” a nibble on the lip, “I really did–really </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> have feelings for you. That's why this whole situation hurts me so bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sigh of relief was heard and the thrusts continued, each one hitting his prostate. Sykkuno leaned back up from Corpse’s face, resting his hands on the younger man’s shoulders. “That’s good,” he muttered. “But I don’t want you to be torn up…” he thrust in once more before letting out a long moan and cumming inside the condom. “Alright, let me finish you off and then we can talk,” he repositioned himself after removing and tying off the condom and began to stroke Corpse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucking into Sykkuno’s hand, Corpse shivered as he breathlessly said “Okay, sounds go–” he cut himself off with a moan and came into Sykkuno’s hand, going lax and lying onto the bed immediately afterwards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good boy,” Sykkuno commented sweetly. “You stay here and relax while I clean up. We can talk afterwards, okay? Here, I’ll let Bimbus come inside, too.” He opened the door and Bimbus came barrelling in, immediately jumping up onto the bed (thankfully, it was a spot where there was no bodily fluids. Thank God) and licking Corpse’s sweaty face. Laughing at the exchange, Sykkuno joked, “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> hope he wasn’t listening in on that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse thought as he returned back to reality. “Oh, God,” he bemoaned to the dog, “I just slept with a serial killer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is also your boyfriend, don’t forget that part,” Sykkuno quipped before walking to the bathroom to wash his hands and grab a rag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse swung over to lay on his back, scratching Bimbus behind the ear as he contemplated his existence. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, I just got fucked by my boyfriend, who I am supposed to be investigating, who has killed seven men. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Bimbus licked his nose, and Corpse blinked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How has this become my life?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he thought that, Sykkuno walked back in with a wet rag, some band-aids, and disinfectant. “Do you want a shirt or something? I think we’re about the same size–do you prefer hoodies or tees?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How–how are you so nonchalant about this?!” Corpse exclaimed, throwing his hands up angrily (he was still lying on his back while naked and bloodied, though, so it wasn’t a very intimidating sight).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno sat back down on the bed and began to clean Corpse’s cuts. It took him a second to respond, and Corpse briefly wondered if the man was about to just say </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck it </span>
  </em>
  <span>and kill him anyways. “I mean, I think the stakes are different for me than you,” he started, and Corpse narrowed his eyes. “I’d be sent to jail, or be euthanized, and I’d lose you. You’re still here, however, so I think things are going pretty great for me,” Sykkuno admitted, uncapping the disinfectant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sy,” Corpse paused to hiss as the disinfectant stung at his wounds, “what you do is very illegal.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Sykkuno mused, “but it’s just what I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Corpse growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a brief moment of silence as the bandages were applied before Sykkuno responded. “I enjoy it,” he shrugged, “it’s one of the best highs I’ve ever experienced.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Corpse grimaced. “You’re sick,” he hissed, but couldn't really bring himself to put much heat into it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Sykkuno had the </span>
  <em>
    <span>gall</span>
  </em>
  <span> to look hurt, and Corpse had the </span>
  <em>
    <span>gall</span>
  </em>
  <span> to feel bad about it. “I know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cursing his soft heart, the detective looked away anxiously when Sykkuno set aside the first-aid equipment and began to spoon him, naked. Bimbus curled up on the pillow by his face. “I don’t know why I’m so conflicted about this,” he admitted. “It should be an easy choice, but I just…” he stopped to consider his words, “you make me feel like… I don’t know, it’s both terrifying and amazing and comforting all at once. I love it and I hate that I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> love it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand grabbed his chin and Corpse’s head was positioned to look Sykkuno in the eye. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to protect you, Corpse. I’ll keep you safe, love you, touch you, hold you,” he kissed his nose, and Corpse blushed. “I’ve never felt this way before, either, but I love it. I want you to stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Corpse cursed, “why can’t we just be normal people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Sykkuno burst into giggles. “I have no clue,” he said, “maybe it’s fate, maybe it’s coincidence. No matter what, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I want you to stay.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about my job?” Corpse asked, shutting his eyes tight. “I’m a damned </span>
  <em>
    <span>detective,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sy. I can’t just forget about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just forget about it when you’re with me,” Sykkuno insisted. “Look, I admit that I’m not the best person, and that our relationship will be… </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but we can make it work. Forget about being a detective for just a while. Declare it a cold case or something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He begged, and Corpse felt guilty. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck, I’m in deep.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s corrupt,” he noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sykkuno countered with, “The police force needs total rehabilitation anyways, don’t worry about it.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, he ain’t wrong.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Chuckling and burying his head into Sykkuno’s neck, Corpse said, “We’re so fucking stupid.” He kissed the soft skin under his mouth, smiling a bit as it elicited a shudder from the older man. “But I think I love you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I love you too, Corpse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continued to cuddle until the morning. Corpse was happy, but all he could think about is </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the fuck do I do now?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter was a bitch to write but also an experience. I severely overestimated how much alcohol it would take to make me drunk (fun fact: taking prozac wrecks your tolerance) and so ended up having to write the second half of it completely sober. either way, I hope it wasn’t all too horrible. i’ll definitely be tweaking it over the next few days, so yeah. lmk about any spelling errors, please! thank you all for reading &lt;33</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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